Vice President Joe Biden attempted Thursday to persuade a reluctant European parliament to agree to a controversial bank-data exchange plan to counter terrorism ploys.
Biden, at the start of a European tour, promised the "inalienable rights" of Europeans would be preserved, something on which not all European lawmakers are convinced.
The previous framework covering the exchange of information on tens of millions of Europeans held by thousands of banks and other bodies broke down in January as rows over protection of liberties triggered a dogfight for control of the process among different European Union institutions.
"I am absolutely convinced that we can succeed to both use the tool and guarantee privacy," Biden said in an address to the EU parliament in Brussels.
"It is important that we do it and it is important that we do so as quickly as possible," he said, stressing the flow of terrorism does not respect borders, leaving nobody immune from dangers.
