Stick to the rules

In recent weeks Germany has balked at implementing European Union rules on saving telecommunications connection data and protested an agreement to provide air passenger data to US authorities. Then the German interior minister agreed with a French call to reinstate 30-day border controls inside the Schengen area, which was created to allow inspection-free travel among members.

Manfred Weber - a German member of the European Parliament - told DW why Germany's recent series of spats do not serve Berlin's interests.

DW: It looks as though the European Commission is going to open proceedings against Germany at the European Court of Justice for not enacting laws that would save telecommunications connection data. Do you find that embarrassing?Manfred Weber: We Germans have a major interest in what is agreed upon in Brussels and that the European guidelines are instituted in all countries. That's why I find it unacceptable that Berlin cannot manage to enact the rules on saving telecommunications data into German law. We committed ourselves to obeying European law and that applies to difficult issues like saving data.

Do you think Berlin's concerns are justified?

In the world that we all live in - a world with smart phones and the Internet - when people want to catch a criminal or track a terrorist, they need to be able to reconstruct connection data to know who a terrorist contacted and who a terrorist talked to. That's why we need the data - it is necessary for this fight. At the same time, we have to include strong safety protections. That means that the data can only be accessed when dealing with serious crimes.

Moving to the Schengen agreement, German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich expressed support for a proposal from French President Nicolas Sarkozy to reinstate passport controls along the border. Both countries have come under heavy criticism for trying to undermine one of European integration's sacred cows. What's your view?

The Schengen Area is a massive European success. Citizens experience it in their everyday lives. Border controls are gone. That's why we in the European Parliament will ensure that the principle of freedom of movement - that I can go where I please as a citizen - is preserved in the future. The reintroduction of border controls has to be limited to a few specific extraordinary cases - times when it's a matter of serious crime or terrorism. It cannot become a new norm.

But what happens in the case of countries like Greece that are not in a position to control the zone's frontiers?First of all, we have to understand that today's Greek-Turkish border and the Polish-Ukrainian border represent European frontiers and that these borders also secure us Germans if you will. That means that a problem on the European frontier is a problem for all of Europe. In the case of Greece, the consequence is that more Frontex authorities - the European border patrol - need to be placed there. I am also calling for authorities there to have the ability to send commandos to secure the border. I also hope that we Europeans can engage in talks with the Turks and put pressure on them. A border can be protected on two sides. Turkey also needs to contribute its part to the fight against illegal migration.

The European Parliament recently gave the green light to giving passenger flight data to the United States. The personal data being provided can be saved for years. Did you vote in favor of the decision?

I voted in favor because it ensures better legal protection than current standards. The deciding factor for me was that the EU Commission will have the right to conduct unannounced inspections in Washington. That means being able to look over the Americans' shoulder and see what they are doing with the data. And I hope that the neutral assessment reports we will be receiving will guarantee to citizens that the standards we agreed to are applied every day.

Interview: Christoph Hasselbach / sms
Editor: Neil King