Albrech optimistic about 2015 deadline for EU DP Regulation

Jan Albrecht, MEP and data protection rapporteur at the European Parliament on the draft EU DP Regulation is optimistic about the Council reaching its negotiating position by this summer.

"I am optimistic that we can reach a solution in 2015. But if the Council wants a swift compromise with us, they need to deliver on individual rights," Albrecht said at the CPDP conference in Brussels on 22 January. Albrect said that as the Parliament's position is already a compromise between many stakeholders, it is willing to negotiate on many points but now the parties need to talk about the detail, not go back to the principles. No legislation will ever be perfect but it is urgent to make progress, he said.

Albrecht said that the best subsidy for EU IT companies is to have the regulation adopted, as it would be a competitive disadvantage for Europe to have 28 different data protection regimes. The delay means a loss of economic power for EU companies, and loss of citizens' rights.

Privacy Laws & Business' Chief Executive Stewart Dresner took part as moderator in a session entitled 'DPO on the ground: Key challenges of the EU reform for privacy professionals'