The European Parliament recommended asylum for whistleblower Edward Snowden for the first time on Thursday and asked all charges against the former National Security Agency contractor to be dropped, MSNBC reported.
After hearing the European Union's report to cancel charges, Snowden tweeted this huge news was a "game-changer."
Snowden currently resides in Russia after fleeing Hong Kong in 2013, nearly one month after releasing compiled documents that proved the NSA was spying on American citizens' phone calls and internet usage. Russia denied the U.S. government's request to extradite Snowden.
The recommendation is not immediate, however, if a country did decide to provide Snowden with asylum, it means he would not be extradited from the EU. Prior to this vote, the union had promised to extradite the whistleblower.
While the vote may seem like a blow to the Obama administration, Snowden tweeted that it was instead "an open hand extended by friends" and a "chance to move forward."
The measure passed by a vote of 285-281 but it is up to individual countries to decide whether or not to offer refuge to the former contractor, according to NBC News.
