"In the United States, and here in Europe, one of our most fundamental and cherished freedoms is the right to personal privacy. Many of the leaders in this room have spoken about this right and stood in support of it. The United States is proud to stand with you."

 

"Particularly during the last decade, our cooperative efforts have led to historic steps forward in fighting crime and terrorism, while protecting privacy. There are three U.S./EU Agreements, in particular, that should be noted in this regard: the U.S.-Europol Agreement; the U.S.-Eurojust Agreement; and the EU/U.S. Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements, which provided the basis for 54 extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties. These three agreements have permitted exchanges of law enforcement and counterterrorism information in connection with hundreds of investigations that have helped protect EU and U.S. citizens, while also protecting their privacy. They stand as brilliant successes for all of our nations."

The European Parliament is the only directly-elected body of the European Union. The 736 Members of the European Parliament are there to represent you, the citizen. They are elected once every five years by voters right across the 27 Member States of the European Union on behalf of its 500 million citizens.

"No matter the challenge, no matter the obstacle, no matter the differences that, at times, can seem to divide us from one another – we are, and always must be, partners. We are united by our values, and by our shared responsibilities: to protect the security and civil liberties of our fellow citizens – and to carry forward the difficult but essential work of building a more peaceful world."