EU JHA Commissioner Malmstrom to EuroFora on new US-EU SWIFT Deal: How to protect Personal Bank Data

EU Commissioner on Justice and Home affairs, experienced former Swedish EU Minister and MEP, Cecilia Malmstrom, replying to "EuroFora"s questions in EU Parliament on the New, revised USA - EU draft agreement on the controversial issue of EU Citizens' Bank Data communication to US Authorities on anti-Terrorism grounds, admitted that, despite new, and more protective safeguards, it's always "difficult" to find out whether an abuse might have been committed, in this, as well as in other such cases, and gave practical advise to EU Citizens on how to try to protect their personal Bank Data by using their new Access, Rectification and Redress Rights, which have been now reportedly recognized in the new draft EU - USA deal :

Malmstrom was speaking in a Press Conference organized at EU Parliament in Strasbourg in order to anounce a New, revised EU Draft Agreement with the US on a "Terrorism Financing Tracking" Programme, commonly known as "SWIFT", a previous and controversial version of which had been recently rejected by a Majority of MEPs who had called for Changes able to protect elmentary EU Citizens Personal Data privacy rights.

 - "EuroFora"s question referred to Malmstrom's anouncement "about (EU Citizens') Personal Data Protection", where she "spoke about Rectification (in case of Error), Erasure, etc", saying that SWIFT would have been brought now in line with fundamental EU Legal Standards. However, "a naive, but practical question" should be clarified, we observed :

 

   
     - "How could (EU) People know if there is, eventually, any (Personal) Data given (to US Authorities), in order to check if there is any Error, or not ? And which Institution" (is in charge in such cases) : "Is EuroPol the main (EU) Watchdog" (as Malmstrom had cited for EU checks on USA Officials' activities in Europe in general), or is there (also) anything else ?", asked "EuroFora".

 

      - "So, that is, of course, very Difficult to know", the competent EU Commissioner admitted, regarding the practical point on EU Citizens' awareness whenever there might be a need to check their Personal Data Protection in real practice, that was raised by "EuroFora"s question.

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    Meanwhile, former EU Parliament's Rapporteur on the EU - USA "SWIFT" Agreement, Liberal MEP Jeanine Hennis Plasshaert, (see her Replies to "EuroFora"s Questions at the eve of February 2010 crucial Vote : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/swift.html), has been just elected to the Dutch Parliament at a key position :

    Jeanine stood as High as at the 4th place in the list of Dutch Liberal VVD Party, which has just succeeded to become the Biggest party in the Netherlands, winning 31 MPs, and, given the overall recent Parliamentary Election Results, it's probable that she might find herself soon returning back to her familiar area including Personal Data Protection and SWIFT, but, this time, eventually from the EU Council's side, as Minister...

    Obviously, such a move could fit well also with the larger Personal Data Protection growing needs, particularly in the galoping developments concerning the new Digital Society, i.e. the area of competence for experienced EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes, who is also a Dutch Liberal... (Comp. EU Commissioner Kroes' earlier statements to "EuroFora", already send to Donors/Subscribers in previous Draft NewsReports).

    The former EU Parliament's Rapporteur had initially been sharply critical against the pre-existing situation on the EU - USA "SWIFT" issue, arguying that EU Citizens' Personal Data and privacy had been dangerously exposed to eventual abuse without the elementary EU safeguards, and, therefore, should be rejected by EU Parliament. (See "EuroFora"s relevant, previous publication, cited supra). But afterwards, she had praised US vice-President Joe Bident's recent commitment to build a new EU - USA Agreement, which, while being still efficient for real anti-terrorism concerns, nevertheless, it could also become much more respectful of EU Citizens' elementary privacy rights.

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    However, Malmstrom's advise about going "to the Treasury" in order to find practical ways to protect EU Citizens' personal Bank Data in relation with the draft EU - USA deal on a new SWIFT II, apparently referred only to the US Department of Treasury, an Executive office of the US Federal Government established to manage government revenue. Something which seems to leave open, at least for the time being, any question about how this could be done in Europe in the future, since it may be soon necessary for the EU to develop also its own European Bank account supervision system when it might be justified by anti-terrorism needs; But there is not yet any generally known EU Treasury able to help protect EU Citizens' Bank Data privacy..  

 

 By a Symbolic coincidence, the 1st USA's Secretary of Treasury was appointed by Historic US President George Washington, the same year that the 1789 French Revolution opened in Europe a way for the creation of Modern, Democratic Nation-States formally recognizing basic Human Rights, and was a Key Personality :  

 

- Alexander Hamilton, the famous Political Philosopher and Pamphleteer who had notoriously struggled with many landmark Publications (known as "The Federalist Papers") to make the American People aware of the fact that, in order to definitively avoid any recurrence of other counter-productive and dangerous Economic and/or Political Divisions, provoking internal Conflicts and/or Civil Wars, etc., the United States of America should advance well beyond a merely "Con-federal" structure of the Past, towards a future "Federal" one, starting by putting in tune, all together, their Economic, Fiscal and Budgetary policies in a joint, unified move serving their common General Interests.

I.e. in a similar Direction towards which, mutatis mutandis, EU Parliament's MEPs  and EU Council's Heads of State/Government are currently trying to build, in one way or another, in Europe, (surprisingly United this week), in view of the 17th of June 2010's EU Summit, in order tio succesfully pave EU's way out of the Global Crisis, towards a new era of strong, sustainable and inclusive Growth in Europe's "2020 Strategy" Horizon...

(Comp. relevant, recent EU Parliament's Newsdrafts prepared for "EuroFora"'s Donors/Subscribers).