Tenth Passenger Data Seminar highlights a decade of progress in travel security

To strengthen passenger data systems and counter cross-border terrorist travel, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized the Tenth Passenger Data Seminar. 

The event brought together 71 experts from 23 countries from 2 to 3 November in Vienna. Representatives of national authorities, international organizations, the transport industry, and private sector stakeholders discussed priorities.

Discussions drew on the experience of national Passenger Information Units, examining different institutional models, evolving operational responsibilities and approaches to retaining specialized expertise. Participants also addressed data protection and gender considerations, co-operation with the transport industry, and technological developments affecting passenger data processing.

The seminar marked the tenth anniversary of OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 6/16 on Enhancing the Use of Advance Passenger Information (API). Since the Decision's adoption in 2016, the OSCE has supported the development of national API capabilities of participating States across South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia through legal, technical and operational assistance.

“The OSCE has had the privilege of witnessing and supporting this progress through legal and policy advice, technical consultations and capacity-building activities. As we mark this tenth anniversary, I would like to recognize the dedication of the national authorities and practitioners whose work turned political commitments into operational capabilities,” said Alena Kupchyna, OSCE Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats during her opening remarks.

Following the seminar, the participants also attended the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Informal Working Group (EECA IWG) on Passenger Data, established by the OSCE and UNOCT in 2021. With the OSCE serving as its secretariat and co-ordinating body, the EECA IWG provides a platform for sustained technical co-operation among national authorities.

During the meeting, EECA IWG member States reviewed the progress and challenges in implementing passenger data systems, exchanged expertise across the group's four thematic areas and identified priorities for its 2027 Activity Plan.

Together, the two events demonstrated how international dialogue and sustained regional co-operation can support countries at different stages of developing their passenger data capabilities.