Passenger travel data shared with Iceland to fight terrorism and serious crime

European Parliament approves EU‑Iceland data‑sharing agreement

• The Parliament formally agrees to a new agreement between the EU and Iceland.
• The agreement allows Iceland to receive and share passenger name record (PNR) data—details of people who travel by air—with EU authorities.
• The purpose is to help prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute terrorism and other serious crimes.

Key points of the resolution

• The Parliament gives its consent for the EU to conclude the agreement with Iceland.
• The Parliament’s President is instructed to send this decision to:
• the European Council
• the European Commission
• the governments and parliaments of all EU member states
• Iceland.

Broader context

The European Union has been actively working to harmonize security measures across the Schengen area, creating a more unified approach to combating transnational threats. This agreement with Iceland is part of a wider strategy to bridge security gaps between the EU and its close partners, with similar agreements also being pursued for countries like Norway and the Swiss Confederation. The legal framework for this data exchange is designed to meet strict EU standards for data protection, a balance that has been rigorously reviewed by the European Data Protection Supervisor to ensure compatibility with fundamental rights. europarl.europa

Impact on people living in the EU

For travelers, this agreement means that information provided to airlines when booking flights—such as names, contact details, and payment information—will be securely shared with Icelandic authorities to help identify potential criminal or terrorist activity. While this increases the scope of data monitoring, the agreement includes specific safeguards to protect privacy. crossborderdataforum