This Temporary Committee was set up to investigate allegations of transport and illegal detention of prisoners by the CIA in European Countries.

The temporary committee's mandate will be to collect and analyse information to find out:

• Whether the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or other US agents or intelligence services of other third countries have carried out abductions, "extraordinary rendition", detentions at secret sites, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners on EU territory or in acceding or candidate countries, or have used this territory to these ends, for example by through flights to or from such countries;

• Whether such actions, which would have been carried out as part of the fight against terrorism, could be considered a violation of Article 6 of the EU Treaty, of certain provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and of other international treaties and agreements, including EU-US agreements on extradition;

• Whether EU citizens or the candidate countries, or any other person entitled to protection from the EU have been detained;

• Whether EU Member States or institutions have been involved or have been complicit in the illegal deprivation of the liberty of individuals.