The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel
欧盟即将为免签待遇向美国出卖我们最敏感的数据
The European Commission is currently finalising negotiations with the Trump administration to conclude an “Enhanced Border Security Partnership” (EBSP) Framework Agreement allowing border control authorities to screen travellers against biometric databases and profile them for security concerns. The leaked draft text suggests that the Commission significantly caved in to US’s excessive demands for unfettered information access, exacerbating travel surveillance and putting our fundamental rights at risk. By EDRi · July 20, 2026
欧盟委员会目前正与特朗普政府进行最后阶段的谈判，旨在达成一项“加强边境安全伙伴关系”（EBSP）框架协议。该协议将允许边境管制部门通过生物识别数据库对旅客进行筛查，并基于安全考量对其进行画像。泄露的草案文本显示，欧盟委员会在很大程度上屈服于美国对不受限制的信息访问权的过度要求，这将加剧旅行监控，并使我们的基本权利面临风险。—— EDRi · 2026年7月20日
US requires access to biometric databases to keep visa free travel
美国要求访问生物识别数据库以维持免签待遇
In 2022, the US government announced that it would require access to biometric databases of countries if they wish to keep visa exemption for their citizens travelling to the US, including European Union (EU) Member States. These new “Enhanced Border Security Partnerships” (EBSP) involve the automated exchange of personal data for the purposes of screening and identity verification of travellers. While the European Commission started discussing the scheme with the US administration in 2022, it received the official mandate by the Council of the EU to lead the negotiations on behalf of Member States only in December 2025. The goal of these negotiations is to establish a “Framework Agreement” which would set out the modalities of the information exchange and general rules on processing of personal data between the US and Member States. It is on this basis that EU countries would then adopt their own bilateral EBSP agreements directly with the US (or adapt their existing arrangements).
2022年，美国政府宣布，如果各国希望其公民在前往美国时继续享受免签待遇，就必须允许美国访问其生物识别数据库，这同样适用于欧盟成员国。这些新的“加强边境安全伙伴关系”（EBSP）涉及为旅客筛查和身份验证目的而进行的个人数据自动交换。尽管欧盟委员会早在2022年就开始与美国政府讨论该计划，但直到2025年12月才获得欧盟理事会的正式授权，代表成员国进行谈判。这些谈判的目标是建立一个“框架协议”，规定美国与成员国之间信息交换的方式以及处理个人数据的一般规则。在此基础上，欧盟各国将直接与美国签署各自的双边EBSP协议（或调整其现有安排）。
The EU is giving into excessive US demands on immense profiling and surveillance of travellers
欧盟正在屈服于美国对旅客进行大规模画像和监控的过度要求
The US’s excessive demands for travellers’ profiling and surveillance in order to stay in its Visa Waiver Programme are nothing less than blackmail. The EU accepting the terms of this power struggle is extremely worrying for the rights of Europeans and any third country nationals registered in European databases. The scheme implies systematic transfers of biometric data and other highly sensitive and subjective “indications of risk” based on European national databases to the US government, which has shown a blatant disregard for basic human rights in its harsh and inhumane treatment of migrants and visitors. In that regard, the draft text does nothing to protect from discrimination based on political opinions, which is worrying because the US is already cracking down political dissent, including its unlawful practice of screening travellers’ social media profiles. The sharing of individual risk assessments to supposedly protect “public security and public order” under the EBSP could further target opposition to the Trump administration, support to transgender people’s rights or protests against the genocide in Gaza expressed (publicly) on social media, with potentially significant impacts, including detention at the borders.
美国为了维持其免签计划而对旅客画像和监控提出的过度要求，无异于勒索。欧盟接受这场权力博弈的条款，对于欧洲公民以及在欧洲数据库中注册的任何第三国国民的权利而言，极其令人担忧。该计划意味着将基于欧洲国家数据库的生物识别数据及其他高度敏感且主观的“风险指标”系统性地传输给美国政府，而美国政府在对待移民和访客时表现出的严苛和不人道行为，已公然无视基本人权。在这方面，草案文本未能提供任何保护，以防止基于政治观点的歧视，这令人担忧，因为美国已经在镇压政治异见，包括其审查旅客社交媒体资料的非法做法。在EBSP框架下，为了所谓保护“公共安全和公共秩序”而共享个人风险评估，可能会进一步针对特朗普政府的反对者、支持跨性别者权利的人士，或在社交媒体上（公开）表达对加沙种族灭绝抗议的人士，并可能产生重大影响，包括在边境被拘留。
Furthermore it is very difficult to know the terms of the negotiations as the talks are shrouded in secrecy. However, in May 2026, EDRi member Statewatch leaked a “revised version” of the draft Framework Agreement, revealing the direction the future deal has taken. According to EDRi’s analysis, the negotiated text seems to almost entirely reflect US demands for unfettered information access. This poses two major problems: (1) the text departs significantly from the Member States’ negotiation mandate; (2) its provisions are, in large parts, not compliant with EU primary and secondary law, notably the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Notably, they fall short of meeting EU fundamental requirement of reaching an essentially equivalent level of protection for international data transfers – something that the Court of Justice of the EU would have no doubt of and declare the agreement incompatible with EU law.
此外，由于谈判处于保密状态，很难获知谈判条款。然而，2026年5月，EDRi成员Statewatch泄露了框架协议草案的“修订版”，揭示了未来协议的走向。根据EDRi的分析，谈判文本似乎几乎完全反映了美国对不受限制的信息访问权的要求。这带来了两个主要问题：(1) 文本严重偏离了成员国的谈判授权；(2) 其条款在很大程度上不符合欧盟初级和二级法律，特别是《欧盟基本权利宪章》。值得注意的是，它们未能满足欧盟关于国际数据传输必须达到“实质等同保护水平”的基本要求——欧洲法院对此毫无疑问，并将宣布该协议与欧盟法律不兼容。
Our call to the EU: resist US pressure, protect key safeguards
我们对欧盟的呼吁：抵制美国压力，保护关键保障措施
EU leaders must fight to protect our fundamental rights against yet another instance of the US bullying the EU into dismantling key safeguards. A strong Europe needs a strong rulebook and our lawmakers must be focused on strengthening core protections against data exploitation and privacy violations – rather than acquiescing to the whims of the US. EDRi recommends the Commission and the Council to push back against the US government’s blackmail and refuse to sell people’s personal data to a country with a very worrying human rights violations record and rapid democratic backsliding.
欧盟领导人必须奋起捍卫我们的基本权利，抵制美国再次欺凌欧盟并迫使其拆除关键保障措施的行为。一个强大的欧洲需要强大的规则手册，我们的立法者必须专注于加强针对数据剥削和隐私侵犯的核心保护，而不是默许美国的任性妄为。EDRi建议欧盟委员会和理事会抵制美国政府的勒索，拒绝将民众的个人数据出售给一个在人权侵犯记录方面令人担忧且民主正迅速倒退的国家。