Strasbourgh, Sept 06: The European Commission has said it has rejected US demands for airlines to reveal passenger information as the anti-terrorism measure could breach EU privacy rules. A spokesman for the EU executive said Washington had failed to give binding commitments that personal data could not be abused in ways that might break EU laws on confidentiality. “The US side has refused to limit the use of data to combat terrorism,” Commission spokesman Reijo Kemppinen has said. The transatlantic row centers on part of Washington’s enhanced anti-terrorism drive it launched after the September 11, ’01 attacks. Since March, Washington has ordered airlines flying to the United States to hand over data on passengers including names, dietary preferences and itinerary.

In a letter to the US authorities the EU commissioner in charge of customs issues, Frits Bolkestein, said the issue touched on “fundamental rights and liberties which are constitutionally protected in the law of several (EU) member states”. “These liberties are fiercely cherished in the European Union,” he said in the letter to homeland security secretary Tom Ridge.

The EU said the demand could breach data protection laws and sought assurances from Washington that the data is not abused or stored indefinitely and that sensitive information on issues such as religion or health problems, are not given. Bureau Report