The European Parliament today adopted a resolution calling for the suspension of the EU-US agreement on the exchange of SWIFT bank transfer data, following the revelation that the US secret service NSA was also involved in the surveillance of SWIFT (the international bank transfer company). After the vote, Green home affairs spokesperson Jan Philipp Albrecht, Parliament's rapporteur/draftsperson for new EU data protection rules, stated:

"In calling for the EU-US SWIFT agreement to be suspended, the European Parliament has today sent a clear message that enough is enough. The revelations about NSA interception of SWIFT data make a mockery of the EU's agreement with the US, through which the bank data of European citizens is delivered to the US anti-terror system (TFTP). What is the purpose of an agreement like this, which was concluded in good faith, if the US authorities are going to circumvent its provisions?

"The EU cannot continue to remain silent in the face of these ongoing revelations: it gives the impression we are little more than a lap dog of the US. If we are to have a healthy relationship with the US, based on mutual respect and benefit, EU governments must not be afraid of defending core EU values when they are infringed. EU leaders must finally take a clear and unambiguous stance on the NSA violations at this week's summit."