The obstacles and enablers of US-EU counter-terrorism cooperation: the case of the passenger name record

Abstract

In this article the author examines the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) counter-terrorism cooperation in the case of the Passenger Name Record. The aim of this article is to find the obstacles and enablers of EU-US counter-terrorism cooperation and offer suggestions to make the cooperation more efficient. In addition, the author determines the distribution of resources in this security relationship to make more accurate suggestions. Previous studies suggest that the primary obstacle to counter-terrorism cooperation in the PNR case is uncertainty caused by different data protection standards on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. The author used the process tracing method and conducted interviews to determine the obstacles and enablers of transAtlantic security cooperation. Although uncertainty was identified as the primary obstacle, it was not caused purely by data protection standards, but also by the fact that the EU was not entirely sure how PNR data would be used after it has been forwarded to Customs and Border Protection by the air carrier. The primary enabler of counter-terrorism cooperation in the PNR case was the more accommodating approach of the US - which led to an agreement. Nevertheless, experts and security strategies suggested that EU-US counter-terrorism cooperation works well and there have been no major problems regarding PNR data exchange.