EU Council reaches agreement on EU DP Regulation

Today, Justice Ministers in the Council reached a General Approach on the new data protection rules confirming the approach taken in the Commission's proposal back in 2012. Trilogue negotiations between the Council, the European Parliament and the EU Commission will start next week on 24 June.

The Council agreed upon many of the fundamental pillars of the Commission's proposal, the Commission says. The form of the new legislation will be a Regulation, also applicable to non-EU companies if they offer services to EU consumers.

The One Stop Shop remains and EU companies will in the future deal with a single national Data Protection Authority. The Council endorses the principle of the right to be forgotten, but says it is not an absolute right. The right to data portability has also been confirmed. The Council’s view is that fines should be a maximum 2% of company’s annual worldwide turnover.

Learn more about this topic in Privacy Laws & Business International Report, to be published this Friday 19 July, and at PL&B’s 28th Annual International Conference 6-8 July. Speakers on the EU DP Regulation include Giovanni Buttarelli, EDPS; Bruno Gencarelli, EU Commission; Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, CNIL and Chair, EU Art. 29 Data Protection Working Party; Christopher Graham, UK Information Commissioner; and Eduardo Ustaran, Hogan Lovells.