<nettime> European Parliament caves in on data retention

["Ben Hayes" <ben@statewatch.pipal.net>]

The "unholy alliance" of the PSE/socialist group and the PPE/conservative
group - who together have a large majority in the parliament - today, 30
May, joined forces with the Spanish Presidency of the EU and voted to
accept the demands of EU governments and law enforcement agencies to place
telecommunications under surveillance. The rapporteur (M Cappato), the
ELDR (Liberals), Green/EFA group and the GUE (United Left) voted against.

On this issue no "compromise" is possible. Either MEPs voted in favour of
maintaining the existing 1997 EC Directive on data protection - which only
allows traffic and location data to be kept for billing purposes (ie: for
the benefit of customers) - or they voted in favour of amending it so that
data can be retained for EU law enforcement agencies to have ongoing
access to it.

And thats what happened.

Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor, comments:

"On this issue the majority of MEPs seem likely to end up on the side of
their governments rather than on the side of the people and the democratic
standards they are meant to protect.

To be told by the two largest groups in the European Parliament, the PSE
and PPE, that the inclusion of references to the European Convention on
Human Rights (ECHR) and EC Community law makes the EU governments' demand
for data retention and the surveillance of telecommunications acceptable
is sheer nonsense.  The ECHR and Community law automatically apply to all
EU Directives and therefore reference to them is simply "window-
dressing".

To be told too that this "compromise" is the best that can be achieved -
on an issue where no compromise is possible - because the three
Brussels-based EU institutions are all in agreement simply tells us that
they are not to be trusted with maintaining and protecting basic
democratic freedoms and rights."

For full story and background etc, see
<http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/may/10epcavein.htm>


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