Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Unlike elements of the Labour Party, the Government speaks as one. The current EU-US interim agreement on the use of passenger name record data will expire on 31 July. It was approved by the Dáil and Seanad on 11 October 2006, as required under Article 29.4.6° of the Constitution. Earlier this year the European Commission was mandated by the Council to negotiate a new agreement in accordance with negotiating directives agreed by the Council. The agreement was reached on 26 June, the text of which was considered by the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the European Union, COREPER, on 29 June. The proposal will be submitted to the Council on 10 July for approval and signature by the EU Presidency on behalf of the European Union. It is important that there should be no legal vacuum on the expiry of the current agreement on 31 July that would affect the ability of carriers to continue operating transatlantic services. Since Aer Lingus is the only Irish operator of such services it is important that the company is not put at a disadvantage, which is the implication of not proceeding in this way.

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