The United States and the European Union signed an agreement in Washington on Friday on sharing information on airline passengers, the Homeland Security Department said.

Under the agreement, which takes effect immediately and lasts three and a half years, the United States has access to 34 categories of personal information, such as names, addresses and passport numbers, on every passenger flying to or from 25 European countries.

The Homeland Security Department will then check the information against US databases to determine if any travelers areterrorist threats.

The Customs and Border Protection bureau will keep the data for three and a half years, down from 50 years originally proposedby Washington, for use in cases of terrorism, international organized crime or to locate escapees and fugitives.

The agreement is key to guarding against terrorism, said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. "A global enemy requires a global response," Ridge said at a signing ceremony.

The agreement created some controversy within Europe -- it wascondemned by the European Parliament, arguing it violated EU law by giving US Customs access to personal information, but won approval from the European Commission, the executive body of the Europe Union.

Source: Xinhua