EU Data Privacy Reforms: the road to reform, are we nearly there yet?
Whilst officially aiming for an end of 2015 implementation date, a recent paper by German Green lawmaker Jan Philipp Albrecht hints that this date may slip to 2016.
Albrecht notes that progress is being slowed by an apparent stalemate amongst EU Member States on certain key issues which include:
- Definition of “consent” and “legitimate interests”
- Quantum of fines to be imposed for data breach
- Appointment of data protection officers: mandatory or at the discretion of the Member States?
- “One stop shop”: will citizens have only one data protection authority in the whole of the EU to deal with or will local regulators maintain authority?
Parliament and Council have stated that the intention is to open further negotiations about the final version of the law before the summer break in 2015 and will conclude the legislative work by the end of 2015. However with such big question marks remaining in key areas, it would appear that there is some way to go before the stated aim of having the same data protection levels EU wide is realised.
Please be advised that this is being provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be comprehensive and should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice. As with all legal issues, we recommend you consult your legal counsel.