MEPs forced to vote on EU-US air data deal - again

National governments are piling pressure on the European Parliament to back EU-US air data transfers – forcing a third vote by MEPs next week.

Diplomats are demanding that parliament use an “urgency procedure” to force a crunch vote on a controversial Trans-Atlantic anti-terror agreement.

EU and national officials are arguing that two previous votes by MEPs have failed to back or sack handovers of air passenger data to US security agencies.

The EU-US agreement is backed by Europe's capitals, brokered by the European Commission and regarded as "vital" in Washington.

"The fix is in," said a parliament source.

"We will see tremendous pressure to railroad MEPs and overrule two previous votes."

"How many times will we vote? Until we give the right answer?"

March 31 and April 21 decisions were taken  by the parliament to seek a legal challenge amid MEP anger and privacy concerns at the EU-US deal.

Parliament has refused - twice - to either endorse or reject the agreement until a European Court of Justice ruling.

Italian Radical MEP Marco Cappato accused Europe's council of ministers, which represents EU governments, and Brussels of running scared.

"The council and the commission fear that the [court's] opinion will state that the international agreement is contrary to EU law... as it will almost probably do, and don't want to wait for it," he told EUpolitix.com

"So they try again and again, they can't bear the European Parliament saying 'let's check legality', they want it to say 'yes' and bend its head."

Both votes have been by close margins, with the last scraping through with a 16-strong majority, and national capitals believe, that with pressure, an EU-US agreement can be swung

Insisting that MEPs give an ‘opinion’ under EU legislative procedure, Europe’s governments have forced parliament chief Pat Cox to hold a Tuesday morning vote calling on MEPs to decide one way or another.

A full debate and vote would then be held later during the week, if MEPs back the air passenger data exchange the legal challenge will be annulled.

The vote will also include unelected MEPs from new EU countries – raising fears that inexperienced and unaccountable parliamentarians may knuckle under to government pressure.

MEPs on the parliament's justice committee have called on Cox not to hold a second vote.

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