Johanna Boogerd-Quaak
It is crucial that civil liberties be protected; otherwise we risk becoming indistinguishable from the jihadists, who would subjugate non-Muslims and women under Sharia. But unfortunately many use calls to protect civil liberties simply as political cover for quite different motives (often involving craven dhimmitude and an unwillingness to confront the realities of jihadist irredentism and expansionism), and it has all become very difficult to sort out. From BreakingNews.ie, :
The European Parliament overruled member governments today and refused to reconsider its opposition to a contentious transatlantic anti-terrorist deal on sharing airline passenger data.
The parliament in Strasbourg voted 343 to 301 against the request to offer an opinion on the deal.
Eighteen MEPs abstained.
The decision not to vote on the deal, negotiated last December between the commission and the United States, is a setback for EU governments keen to boost anti-terrorist cooperation with Washington.
But in practical terms it may have little effect, since interim measures are already in place that provide Washington with even more passenger information than the proposed permanent agreement.
The proposed final accord — intended to provide legal certainty for European airlines caught in the middle — will stay on hold until the court rules on the issue, which could take several months.
Many in the Parliament fear the deal violates civil liberties.
“We still have no guarantees that European passenger data transferred to the US is not passed on to third parties,” said Dutch liberal Johanna Boogerd-Quaak, the leading opponent of the deal.
Conservatives, who supported the deal in last month’s vote, argued it was urgently needed to prevent terrorist attacks on transatlantic flights.