The EU-US agreement which regulates US access to data from the SWIFT database (that deals with nearly all European bank transfers) must be terminated following revelations that the US National Security Agency has been secretly tapping into EU citizens' personal financial data.

 

GUE/NGL MEP Cornelia Ernst commented: “It is imperative to terminate this agreement now. Its purpose is precisely to provide the US with access to that data and we have consistently opposed it as it does not provide for sufficient guarantees for European citizens' fundamental rights. Our concerns have been shown to be justified as we hear that the US is violating this weak arrangement in order to spy on everybody around the globe without any restrictions.”

 

“Edward Snowden's revelations have shown that our fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of speech for technical reasons are not guaranteed anymore, nor are they defended by European governments. We must put an end to this lawlessness that is tolerated by the governments. As long as intelligence agencies can break laws as they please, there is no possibility to control or scrutinise them. They are a state within the state. We need to reclaim these foundations of our democracies. “

 

Ernst also called into question other agreements that deal with data transfers to the US. “The negotiations on the EU-US data protection framework agreement have been stalled for years by the US administration. They must be continued” she said.