The "unholy alliance" of the PSE/socialist group and the PPE/conservative group - who together have a large majority in the parliament - today, 30 May, joined forces with the Spanish Presidency of the EU and voted to accept the demands of EU governments and law enforcement agencies to place telecommunications under surveillance.
The rapporteur (M Cappato), the ELDR (Liberals), Green/EFA group and the GUE (United Left) voted against.
In the decisive vote on the second part of amendment 46 (split vote on data retention) the result was 351 votes in favour (PPE, PSE UEN), 133 against (ELDR, Greens, GUE and TDI) with 13 abstentions (some PPE, PSE).
On this issue no "compromise" is possible. Either MEPs vote in favour of maintaining the existing 1997 Directive which only allows traffic and location data to be kept for billing purposes (ie: for the benefit of customers) or they vote in favour of data being retained so that EU law enforcement agencies (police, customs, immigration and internal security agencies) can get ongoing access to it.
The rapporteur (M Cappato), the ELDR (Liberals), Green/EFA group and the GUE (United Left) voted against.
In the decisive vote on the second part of amendment 46 (split vote on data retention) the result was 351 votes in favour (PPE, PSE UEN), 133 against (ELDR, Greens, GUE and TDI) with 13 abstentions (some PPE, PSE).
On this issue no "compromise" is possible. Either MEPs vote in favour of maintaining the existing 1997 Directive which only allows traffic and location data to be kept for billing purposes (ie: for the benefit of customers) or they vote in favour of data being retained so that EU law enforcement agencies (police, customs, immigration and internal security agencies) can get ongoing access to it.