Policy Observatory

On Wednesday, the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) adopted the EU Passenger Name Records (EU-PNR) directive proposal, presented by Rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope, a conservative MEP from the UK.

The EU-PNR directive would establish the systematic collection, retention, and analysis of passenger data for everyone flying into or leaving the EU. Passenger data contains a plethora of personal information, such as passengers’ personal and contact details, itinerary, payment methods, and sometimes even car and hotel bookings.

The MEPs adopted during the second reading the regulation on the measures concerning access to the internet modifying the 2002 Directive on telecommunications. The totality of amendments proposed by the MEPs promoting net neutrality has been rejected.

European Commission - Statement Statement Statement Strasbourg, 26 October 2016 European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip, responsible for the Digital Single Market, and Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger, in charge of the Digital Economy and Society, welcome the decision by the European Parliament to formally approve the Directive on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies.

The European Union’s answer to protecting children from harmful content on the internet and combating copyright infringement is to require internet companies to filter the internet.

The European Parliament is about to vote on two pieces of legislation in the near future. One is the Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market, the other is the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. These Directives would forever change the internet for everyone.