EU, US agree to share air passenger details

The European Commission said Tuesday it was ready to hand over data about airline passengers with the United States after Washington offered "adequate" privacy safeguards.

The decision ends months of tense talks as the European Union had reacted angrily to initial US demands, saying they would breach the privacy rights of its citizens.

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"There was pain on both sides, but we have come up with a very solid middle ground," said Stewart Verdery, assistant secretary for border and transportation policy in the Department of Homeland Security.

European Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd said the European Union executive would soon adopt a decision to allow the transfer of data to the United States under the agreed framework.

The decision by the Commission is subject to an opinion from the European Parliament. The EU assembly had earlier said the US request was against EU privacy rules and asked the EU executive to find a solution by year-end.

"I think that today marks a real dawning of an era ... of mutual recognition and mutual respect for data protection and privacy framework on both sides of the Atlantic," said Nuala O'Connor Kelly, chief privacy officer for the Department of Homeland Security.

The United States has demanded access to foreign airlines' booking records in a bid to gather useful information to prevent acts such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.