The United States and the European Union claim to have reached a preliminary accord on new rules to supply personal data on US-bound air passengers as part of the fight against terrorism.

The agreement came after EU and US negotiators extended marathon talks which began last Thursday aimed at agreeing new rules. This new agreement follows the rejection of the last arrangement which was declared illegal by the European Court of Justice which gave the US and EU until September 30 to come up with something more acceptable.
EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said the deal, clinched in nine hours of overnight negotiations, would make it easier for US law enforcement agencies to obtain the information without giving them automatic electronic access.
‘We are not talking about more data or more exchanges, we are talking about making it easier to transmit data,’ he told a news briefing at an EU justice ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the agreement satisfied US security needs and would allow earlier access to data if needed ? with airlines maybe having to provide it more than 72 hours before departure. He added that US agencies will abide by general privacy rules that the US has agreed with the EU.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the deal. ‘This is an important agreement that will ensure normal operations for the 105,000 passengers who fly between these two jurisdictions each day,’ said IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani.