PNR and SWIFT agreements. External relations of the EU on data protection matters

Since the 9/11 attacks there has been a dramatic increase in measures adopted in order to prevent and to combat international terrorism, which has had an impact on the existing data protection framework within the EU.
This study will focus on the analysis of the international agreements signed between the EU and third countries regarding data transfers. In particular, PNR Agreements as well as the SWIFT Agreements will be examined, and I will also analyse the interconnection between the internal and external dimensions in depth, focusing on their mutual impact.
In order to do this, an analysis and comparison of the current EU-US PNR Agreement, EU-Australia PNR Agreement and EU-Canada PNR Agreement will be carried out first. After, I will study the future European PNR Directive and possible implications for current PNR Agreements.
I will then examine SWIFT and SWIFT II Agreements, paying special attention to the enhanced powers of the EP. At this point, it will be necessary to study the European Terrorist Finance Tracking System project as part of the EU Internal Security Strategy.
Finally, concerning the negotiations recently opened by European Union and the United States on an agreement to protect personal information exchanged in the context of fighting crime and terrorism, I will examine this potential international agreement on data transfers between the EU and the US, and its impact on the rest of international agreements with regard to data protection.