EU, US discuss data protection deal

US Attorney General Eric Holder (R) and US
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
© AFP Attila Kisbenedek

AFP

GODOLLO, Hungary (AFP) - EU and US officials met in Hungary Thursday to try to move forward negotiations for a framework deal to protect the privacy of European citizens' data in future anti-terror operations.

"It is very important to have ... an umbrella agreement" that balances security with privacy rights, Viviane Reding, the EU justice commissioner, said after talks with US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

"Once we have such an agreement it will be much easier to have specific agreements" on various areas, Reding said after the talks outside Budapest.