Andrzej Jan Szejna (PSE). – (PL) Mr President, I would like to begin by thanking Mrs Roure for drawing up her report on the protection of personal data processed in the framework of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

There is no question that the swift adoption of a framework decision on personal data protection in the third pillar will help to protect the personal data, private life and fundamental rights of all citizens of the Member States. This matter is a priority for us socialists. This is not just because the current legal solutions in this area are inadequate; it is most importantly because of its significance for everyone living in the EU.

It is my view that the legal act drawn up previously by the Council contained too many gaps. It guaranteed protection only to a minimal and certainly not an adequate extent. Because of this, I fully support the rapporteur’s proposed amendments to the Council’s draft, with which we were not satisfied, particularly those relating to the protection of data relating to DNA, health or the sexual orientation of citizens. All data relating to personal and sensitive spheres of life such as racial and ethnic origin or information relating to religious convictions or world views require special protection and their processing should be admissible only in exceptional situations that are precisely defined in the law, and with the consent of a court.

It is also of exceptional importance that the rapporteur has taken the trouble to regulate the problem of data protection when the data are further processed, passed to third countries or passed to private entities, because it is precisely at these stages that abuse most commonly occurs.

What we need is a precise framework decision that will protect data to an extent that is at least on a level with that guaranteed in the first pillar by the 1995 Directive and Convention 108.