Privacy advocacy NGOs worried about compromises in new EU DP regime

NGOs from the European Union and around the globe, including European Digital Rights (EDRi), Privacy International and US-based Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), have expressed concern over the proposed changes to the draft EU Data Protection Regulation. The organisations say that as the negotiations have been prolonged, the Council has retreated beyond the level of protection afforded by the EU 1995 DP Directive.

‘A failure of the European Commission to maintain levels of data protection in the 1995 Directive would be a breach of the promise made by the European Commission, it would be a breach of the promise of treaty-level protection of the right to personal data enshrined in Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights,’ they say.

The NGOs urge, in a letter of 21 April addressed to First Vice-President Timmermans and Vice-President Ansip, that the European Commission keeps to the political promise it made about the level of protection.

In the meantime, the EU Ombudsman has said that there are clear concerns about the lack of transparency of the trilogue process. The EU Council hopes to agree on its negotiating position by the end of June so that the informal trilogue could start with the European Parliament and the EU Commission.

PL&B’s 28th Annual International Conference 6-8 July 2015 will feature an in-depth progress report on the draft EU DP Regulation. Speakers include Giovanni Buttarelli, EDPS; Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President, the CNIL and Chair, the EU Art. 29 DP Working Party; Bruno Gencarelli, Head of Unit – Data Protection, Directorate-General for Justice, European Commission; and Christopher Graham, UK Information Commissioner. Register now to learn of the draft Regulation’s progress from some of the leading players in this process.