BRUSSELS, SWITZERLAND – Pressure is being put on European members of parliament in Brussels this week, to approve a bill that has been blocked since 2013 that would require airlines to share passenger data with security agencies.

The European Voice, an offshoot of the Economist, reports that “European Council President Donald Tusk warned MEPs on Tuesday (13 January) that unless Parliament approved legislation to compel airlines to share passenger name records (PNR) with European security agencies, the EU would end up with a “patchwork with holes” that would neither protect citizens nor safeguard their privacy,” noting that “that internal EU passport-free travel could also be at risk if PNR were not approved.”

Lacking an EU-wide policy a number of countries have their own legislation requiring airlines to provide the passenger data they hold.