VZCZCXRO5886
PP RUEHAG RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHRL #1377/01 3060705
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 020705Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5645
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RHEFHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUCXONI/ONI WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRL/USDAO BERLIN GE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001377 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT, EUR, L 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2029 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KJUS KHLS GM
SUBJECT: SECURITY TAKES BACKSEAT AS NEW JUSTICE MINISTER 
FOCUSES ON DATA PRIVACY 
 
REF: A. BERLIN 1167 
     ¶B. BERLIN 988 
     ¶C. 2008 BERLIN 504 
     ¶D. 2008 BERLIN 354 
 
Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs, Robert A. Polla 
rd for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Germany's new Federal Justice Minister, 
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, has strong views on 
individual liberties and personal privacy that are likely  to 
lead to complications with the USG concerning law 
enforcement security cooperation and data sharing. 
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was the driving force behind the 
FDP's coalition negotiations on domestic security policy. 
She succeeded in creating new structures to promote data 
protection policy and to review existing  counterterrorism 
legal frameworks in order to protect privacy rights.  She 
will work to further enhance data protection measures and 
increase oversight of security agencies' use of personal data 
in investigations.  Her record as a parliamentarian and 
earlier term as Justice Minister (1992-1995) suggests that 
she is inclined to favor data protection measures over the 
need for security-related  information sharing for 
counterterrorism purposes.  In particular, she is a staunch 
opponent of the U.S.-German  "Pruem-like" agreement to share 
personal information on serious crime and terrorism suspects 
and is critical of the  ongoing U.S.-EU negotiations 
concerning the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger is a member of the Free 
Democratic Party (FDP) and was the FDP's chief negotiator 
during coalition negotiations with the Christian Democrats on 
internal affairs, justice and security policy.  The FDP has a 
long tradition as a strong defender of citizens' privacy 
rights.  These views have led the FDP to oppose all of 
Germany's recent counterterrorism legislative proposals, as 
well as voice concerns about U.S.-German and U.S.-EU 
information sharing initiatives such as Passenger Name Record 
(PNR) and elements of the Visa Waiver Program that  involve 
sharing information on travelers (ref A).  Justice  Ministry 
contacts have told EconOff that they predict "it  would not 
get easier" for the USG in dealing with 
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger given her strong views on these 
issues.  In her view, overzealous security policy has 
compromised citizen rights and freedom over the  past decade. 
 MoJ officials highlighted her opposition to our bilateral 
"Pruem-like" agreement (ref D) that creates a  platform for 
automated fingerprint checking of serious crime and terrorism 
suspects as an example of her more restrictive views on law 
enforcement data sharing. 
 
¶3. (C) During the coalition negotiations, 
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger successfully raised the profile 
of data privacy issues.  The agreement includes modifications 
to existing legal frameworks and structures that increase 
oversight of security agencies' use of personal data.  In 
particular, a heightened layer of court approval will be 
required for online investigations of terrorism cases (ref 
C); the coalition will conduct a mid-term review of the 
recently passed law that outlawed training at overseas 
terrorist camps and criminalized a number of activities 
related to terrorist attack preparation and distribution of 
extremist propaganda (ref B); and an evaluation will be 
performed of all government security-related databases. 
Furthermore, the Federal Data Commissioner's office will gain 
more staff and resources and a new Data Protection Foundation 
will be established. 
 
¶4. (C) Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was not successful in 
inserting a number of her most expansive data protection 
goals into the coalition agreement.  In particular, she 
argued unsuccessfully for new data privacy legislation that 
would have added new protections to private sector 
information. 
 
¶5. (C) There are three areas in which we expect 
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger's emphasis on data protection to 
complicate USG security cooperation both bilaterally and with 
the European Union. 
 
BERLIN 00001377  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
- Bilateral Pruem-like agreement:  Although the agreement has 
been passed by both the Bundestag and Bundesrat, signed  by 
the President and published in the federal gazette, it cannot 
be implemented until objections raised by a Green  Party 
Hamburg state senator are resolved.  Hamburg Justice Senator 
Steffen has raised concerns about the  agreement, mainly 
regarding data protection issues, and introduced them into a 
federal-state mediation body and a  state justice ministers 
conference.  Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was a staunch 
opponent of the agreement throughout its development and is 
now in a position to influence how Steffen's motions will be 
handled.  We are not optimistic that she will work to resolve 
the matter quickly. 
 
- HSPD-6 terrorist screening data sharing:  Justice Ministry 
contacts suggest it will be difficult to obtain 
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger's consent to enter into 
negotiations on a Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 
(HSPD-6) agreement to share terrorist screening information. 
The character of the HSPD-6 initiative, which involves 
sharing personal data records of potentially tens of 
thousands of individuals, is likely anathema to the new 
minister.  Nevertheless, we are prepared to approach the 
Justice Ministry in the near future to ascertain their views 
on a HSPD-6 agreement. 
 
- Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP): 
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger inserted language into the 
coalition agreement specifically addressing the ongoing 
U.S.-EU TFTP negotiations that seek to establish a successor 
framework to the SWIFT system.  The coalition agreement 
directs Germany to call upon the EU to work towards a higher 
level of data protection during the negotiations including 
strict limitations on the use of TFTP data, no automatic 
access to the system, data deletion requirements, clear rules 
on sharing information with third  parties and legal redress. 
 
 
Murphy