This month, the EP rejected a bank data sharing deal with the US. Taking a strong stance in favour of protection of European’s right to privacy, MEPs ignored strong pressure from the US to accept the deal. If passed, the agreement would have given US authorities the ability to monitor financial transactions made through SWIFT (an international transfer system). The US argues that is necessary for tracing how terrorism is funded. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton even rang up EP President Jerzy Buzek ahead of the vote, to try and persuade him of this point. Her efforts were in vain, as MEPs deemed the agreement an unnecessary and unjustified violation of privacy. After the fact, Buzek confirmed that « the majority view is that the correct balance between security, on the one hand, and the protection of civil liberties and fundamental rights, on the other, has not been achieved. »

Photo : Flickr/ European Parliament