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Identity of int'l train passengers to be checked

Xinhua, January 28, 2017

• Passengers get off a Eurostar train at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France, Jan. 17, 2015. (Xinhua/Chen Xiaowei)

  An agreement has been reached between Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Britain regarding identity checks for passengers travelling aboard international trains, local media reported on Friday.

  According to local newspaper Le Soir, a working group will be set up to address the practical issues involved in implementing the Passenger Name Record (PNR) system. A first draft proposal is expected to be drawn up by the end of March.

  The PNR system obliges airlines to hand European Union (EU) countries their passengers' data in order to help the authorities fight terrorism and serious crime. It would require more systematic collection, use, and retention of PNR data on air passengers.

  The PNR is now to be extended to all international transportation.

  The Belgian Council of Ministers approved the PNR system on Dec. 4, 2015.

  "Intelligence and security services are now able to anticipate whether wanted criminals are travelling through the Belgian territory," the communique from Interior Minister Jan Jambon read.

  "We have agreed that, together with the rail service providers, we will look into how we can register the names of passengers," said Jambon to VRT News on Friday.

  The system should be operational before the end of the year, he said.

  The use of PNR data for the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crimes comes from an EU directive approved on April 21, 2016 by the Council of the EU.

  According to this directive, every member state will have a PNR set up before the end of 2018.

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