EU data protection regulation

What is the EU data protection regulation?

In January 2015 the European Commission revealed a draft of its European Data Protection Regulation to replace the previous Data Protection Directive.

The Data Protection Directive is a European Union Directive, created to regulate the progression of personal data within the European Union. Directive 95/46/EC is  now an integral part of the EU privacy and human rights law.

The aim of the new European Data Protection Regulation is to harmonise the current data protection laws in place across the EU member states. As a “regulation” it will be directly applicable to all EU member states without a need for national implementing legislation.

The proposal seeks to update the EU’s data protection framework to:

• Give individuals more control over their data.
• Harmonize rules and enforcement throughout the EU.
• Ensure data protection in a globalized world.
• Extend the framework to include data use by police and criminal justice operations.

The proposal consists of two legislative measures: a regulation that updates the general framework and a new directive that establishes rules for police and judicial cooperation.

The European Commission plans to reach an agreement with the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the new data protection framework by year’s end. The rules will go into effect two years after they have been adopted by the member countries.