A European Data Protection Framework for the 21st Century

Wednesday, 1st February 2012

Dear EACA members,

I want to inform you about the new proposal on data protection which was published today. This proposal deals with the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.

Commissioner of Justice Reding is convinced that the current data protection rules from 1995 need to be strengthened to give people more confidence and to make it easier for businesses to operate on Europe’s digital single market. As she pointed out in her speech today at a digital Conference in Germany:

1. People need to be informed about the processing of their data in simple and clear language. Internet users must be told which data is collected, for what purposes and how long it will be stored. They need to know how it might be used by third parties. They must know their rights and which authority to address if those rights are violated. People need to be able to make an informed decision about what to disclose, when and to whom.
2. People’s consent needs to be specific and given explicitly.
3. People must be able to easily take their data to another provider or have it deleted if they no longer want it to be used (“the right to be forgotten”).

Please find enclosed the whole speech of Commissioner Reding and our reaction to the new proposal as joint press release as member of the Data Industry Platform. The official website of the European Commission which contains all the information is http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/data-protection/news/120125_en.htm.

What does it mean for our industry:
The new proposed rules are stricter which means much more bureaucracy and more burden to get data from individuals.

Next steps:
The Commission’s proposals will now pass to the European Parliament and EU Member States (meeting in the Council of Ministers) for discussion. The Regulation will be enforceable in all Member States two years after it has been adopted.

We will continue to represent our interest as good as possible (in joint action with the Data Industry Platform) and will regularly update you on the achievements.

Tamara Ramach
EU Affairs Manager
EACA
152 Boulevard Brand Whitlock
1200 Brussels