Sophie in ‘t Veld spricht Klartext
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Die niederländische Politikerin Sophie in 't Veld, die für die liberale Partei Democraten 66 im Europäischen Parlament sitzt und als Mitglied des Untersuchungsausschusses zu den geheimen CIA-Verhörzentren in Europa arbeitet, hat EurActiv ein interessantes Interview zum abgeschlossenen Flugpassagierdaten-Deal, den Datenschutzversprechungen der amerikanischen Sicherheitsbehörden und den Akteuren, die die politische Agenda in der EU bestimmen, gegeben. Ein Auszug:
Im sorry, this is a democracy, this is the 21st century, and we all know that the public authorities mean well, but people arent safe, people should have proper means of redress. Thats really elementary. Secondly, US authorities have really given us very little reason to trust them blindfolded. The previous PNR agreement has been, to put it mildly, implemented in a less-than-satisfactory manner. There were all these things that the Americans promised, but the only guarantee seemed to be Scouts honour!.
The Americans have not lived up to their promises, thats very obvious; for example, there was the issue of purpose limitation. The agreements undertakings state that passenger data can only be used for the fight against terrorism and related crime. However, in reality it turns out that it is being used for other purposes.
Theres also the case of SWIFT [bank-transfer data]. Why do we have to find out five years into the war against terror that our bank accounts are being monitored, why didnt anybody tell us about this?
Is this the way that allies behave? Spying on each other in secret? The CIA flights, the rendition flights, secret detention camps, these dont really inspire much confidence, either. Im sorry, but it creates an image of American authorities who feel that they are above the law. And this is not anti-Americanism, because, lets face it, opposition is growing within the US as well.
Whats important here is that we do not have our own policies in Europe, and for what we do have there is no parliamentary scrutiny. This agreement will now be put before national parliaments, but how many do you think will have the guts to say No, this leaves citizens unprotected, it leaves the airlines in legal limbo? They cant say No anymore, and the European Parliament has not been involved.
This is a very undesirable situation, and its not just about PNR. We do not speak with one voice, but national governments are selling their electorate the illusion of national sovereignty. Give me a break! Terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon, but we see today that policies are not made in national capitals, nor are they made in Brussels, they are made in Washington.
The Americans have not lived up to their promises, thats very obvious; for example, there was the issue of purpose limitation. The agreements undertakings state that passenger data can only be used for the fight against terrorism and related crime. However, in reality it turns out that it is being used for other purposes.
Theres also the case of SWIFT [bank-transfer data]. Why do we have to find out five years into the war against terror that our bank accounts are being monitored, why didnt anybody tell us about this?
Is this the way that allies behave? Spying on each other in secret? The CIA flights, the rendition flights, secret detention camps, these dont really inspire much confidence, either. Im sorry, but it creates an image of American authorities who feel that they are above the law. And this is not anti-Americanism, because, lets face it, opposition is growing within the US as well.
Whats important here is that we do not have our own policies in Europe, and for what we do have there is no parliamentary scrutiny. This agreement will now be put before national parliaments, but how many do you think will have the guts to say No, this leaves citizens unprotected, it leaves the airlines in legal limbo? They cant say No anymore, and the European Parliament has not been involved.
This is a very undesirable situation, and its not just about PNR. We do not speak with one voice, but national governments are selling their electorate the illusion of national sovereignty. Give me a break! Terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon, but we see today that policies are not made in national capitals, nor are they made in Brussels, they are made in Washington.
von rabenhorst - Owl,
gepostet am Montag, 9. Oktober 2006 um 13:53
