The legislative process for the European Commission’s (EC’s) proposed Data Protection Regulation is heating up. The European Parliament’s lead committee on the EU’s draft Data Protection Regulation has received more than 3,000 proposed amendments to the reform measure. As a result, the committee has moved its vote on the Regulation from April to the end of May. Some of the 3,000 amendments were submitted last week by Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), which has adopted an opinion generally supporting the proposed Regulation. Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the EC and EU Justice Commissioner, said that JURI’s adoption of the proposed Regulation brings the EU “another step towards the swift adoption of modern data protection reform in Europe.” In an unrelated announcement, the French Minister of Justice stated that France “actively supports” the proposed Regulation, including its provision on the right to be forgotten. The Minister said that France will be vigilant that the Regulation will “not introduce a step backwards” from current French law.
Tag Archives: European Commission
German Privacy Publication Features Hogan Lovells Piece on Proposed Data Protection Regulation
The German publication, Zeitschrift fur Datenschutz, has just published a piece authored by Christopher Wolf, director of the global Privacy and Information Management practice, entitled “A Critical Time for the EU Data Protection Regulation.” The article highlights issues that have been raised about the proposed Regulation, described as ”real and substantial.” The point of the piece is… Continue Reading
EU Sets Timeline for Consideration of Data Protection Reform
Jan Philipp Albrecht, the rapporteur to the European Parliament for the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation, has set forth a draft calendar that indicates how long debate over the Regulation may last. It is anticipated that by summer 2013 the Regulation should be ready for trilogue with the Council and Commission, and that the Regulation shall be put to a vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament in early 2014.
London Privacy Workshop Seeks Input for UK Consultation
Hogan Lovells partners Quentin Archer, Roger Tym and Winston Maxwell hosted a London workshop on February 29, 2012 aimed at collecting comments for the UK Ministry of Justice’s public consultation on the proposed EU privacy Regulation. Workshop participants commented on the right to be forgotten, data portability, the accountability principle, data breach notifications, proposed requirements for consent, fining powers, and the “one-stop-shop” principle.
Announcement from European Commission on Comprehensive Data Protection Reform Coming Wednesday
Despite rumors of delay, the formal announcement of a proposed comprehensive reform of the data protection framework in the European Union is now set for this Wednesday, January 25 at 12:30 CET (6:30 AM EST). This blog entry contains a link to the videostream of the announcement, as well as a synopsis and link to a video of a speech on Saturday by EU Justice Vice-President Viviene Reding. The Commission’s Data Privacy Day video on personal responsibility to protect privacy also is linked to.
European Data Protection Supervisor Releases “Inventory” of 2012 Priorities
On January 10, Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor, released his annual “Inventory” of issues of strategic importance for 2012, indicating that he would be focusing on, among other issues, the proposed EU data protection framework, IP rights versus privacy rights, cloud computing, and financial sector reform.
Details of EU Data Protection Reform Reveal Dramatic Proposed Changes
Although the European Commission was expected to release its overhaul of the 1995 Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC) next month, some of the details of those changes emerged earlier than expected this week. In this post, we summarize the many key changes between the Data Protection Directive and the Commission’s draft Data Protection Regulation.
Network Neutrality Advances in the E.U.
The network neutrality debate in the U.S. has moved to the appeal courts as the 2010 FCC Order, which becomes effective on Nov. 20, awaits review. Meanwhile, two E.U. developments presage more regulatory steps forward. The result is movement away from the European Commission’s wait-and-see communique announced just last April.
European Commission Releases Significant Proposals for Privacy Changes
The European Commission has just released a document setting forth its proposed strategy for revisions to EU data protection rules previewed in this blog recently. This entry provides a link to the Commission proposals and describes the process for input into consideration of the changes.
Privacy by Design for Italian Smart Grid
A presentation by Hogan Lovells privacy partners compares European Commission “EG2″ privacy recommendations for smart grids with the comparable recommendations of the NIST. We explain the concept of “privacy by design” in the smart grid environment and the use of detailed privacy use cases to mitigate system risks. The presentation compares the U.S. concept of “PII” with the European concept of “personal data” and discusses the risks associated with transferring household electricity data to third parties, as is mandated by California and Italian law.
European Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe: Privacy is Key and Review of Privacy Legislation Slated
The European Commission published its “Digital Agenda for Europe” on 19 May 2010. The document presents a number of future measures designed to “maximize the social and economic potential” of information and communication technologies. Unsurpirsingly, privacy is an important focus. Lionel de Souza from the Hogan Lovells Paris Office describes the Commission report and provides a link to the document.