The European Parliament will vote tomorrow (4 July) on a Resolution on the alleged spying activities of the United States National Security Agency.

Ever since European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding sent a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder, Europe has been waiting for a response to the extensive and serious allegations of abuse of European citizens' data and even of spying on the offices of the EU and Member States.

One option available to the EU is to delay the start of the negotiations on the proposed Trade Agreement called TTIP (“Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership”). This would most certainly motivate the United States to treat European concerns more seriously and to respond to Vice-President Reding's letter more quickly.

Amendments 1, 2 and 4 to the Resolution that will be voted tomorrow call for exactly such a delay.

The result of the votes on these amendments will tell us if the European Parliament is capable of thinking strategically, in the best interests of European citizens. The vote will also show whether the European Parliament has the courage to take a stand or will meekly stand aside and allow the TTIP negotiations to move ahead despite these serious allegations.

A vote against these amendments would be indefensible.

If you want to share your views on this issue with Members of the European Parliament, their contact details can be found at: https://memopol.lqdn.fr/