Switzerland and the EU want to negotiate on flight data
Published: Tuesday, Mar 5th 2024, 17:30
Updated At: Tuesday, Mar 5th 2024, 17:31
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Federal Councillor Beat Jans met with the justice and home affairs ministers of the EU and Schengen states in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to discuss, among other things, the fight against organized crime and irregular migration. The exchange of data on air passengers between Switzerland and the EU was also advanced.
At this meeting, the EU member states adopted a negotiating mandate to exchange air passenger data with Switzerland in future, as an EU source confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday. The Federal Council had already adopted a corresponding mandate last November.
This would affect the data that passengers provide when booking: Names, contact details and travel route. Around 70 countries worldwide, including the EU states, already exchange this data. According to the Federal Council, the agreement is intended to strengthen the exchange of information in police cooperation.
Initial meetings are currently being planned, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) announced on request. The agreement to be negotiated should enter into force at the same time as the Air Passenger Data Act, which is currently being drafted. This is planned for 2026.
Organized crime and border protection
According to the FDJP, one of the most important topics of the meeting was the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. The EU Commission had adopted an evaluation report with recommendations in January. These were discussed by the ministers. The FDJP will now analyze the recommendations.
Irregular migration and the Frontex border protection agency were also discussed at the meeting. Federal Councillor Jans expressed reservations about the planned budget cuts in the area of return. This must continue to be a priority.
Head of the FDJP Jans also took part in an initial discussion on the possibilities of closer cooperation in cross-border exchanges and data protection, it was reported. The Federal Councillor also took the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts.
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