Members of the European Parliament are calling on the European Parliament to stop using American software for their business trips, because they fear that Washington could track or even disrupt their travel movements via the underlying platform. In a letter seen by Politico, they ask for a switch to a European alternative to reduce the risk of foreign interference and unwanted access to sensitive travel data.
According to Politico, several MEPs have written to Parliament President Roberta Metsola requesting that the contract with the current travel provider be terminated. The reason for this is the takeover of travel agency Carlson Wagonlit Travel, which handles the bookings, by American Express Global Business Travel, which has resulted in the infrastructure behind the travel arrangements being even more firmly in American hands.
The parliamentarians warn that their travel data—including destinations, times, and sometimes meetings—constitutes sensitive political information that could be misused if it falls into the wrong hands. They fear that the combination of an American travel platform and a tense geopolitical climate opens the door to pressure, sanctions, or targeted disruption of the movements of critical representatives of the people.
The letter refers to growing unease about the European Parliament's dependence on American technology in its day-to-day work. The signatories view the software and infrastructure used for business travel as a strategic vulnerability, precisely because access to travel data can reveal a great deal about political priorities, international contacts, and diplomatic processes.
These concerns are in line with a broader European debate on transatlantic data flows and access by US authorities to personal data, which previously focused on issues such as PNR data (passenger data) and bank transactions. These debates consistently raised the question of the extent to which European institutions still have control over data once it is processed by US companies, even if they formally claim to comply with the GDPR.
MEPs are calling for the travel software to be replaced by a European or at least EU-based system that falls under direct European jurisdiction. This would enable Parliament to better guarantee that the travel data of MEPs and staff are not automatically subject to US regulations or extraterritorial measures (such as sanctions legislation).
