Tag Archives: European Commission

EU Commission Postpones Publication of Proposal for Revised Data Protection Directive

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Hunton & Williams LLP

According to a spokesperson at the European Commission, the publication of the proposal for the review of the EU Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC) has been postponed until late February or March 2012. The draft proposal was scheduled to be officially released in late January after it was leaked in December 2011. According to various sources, the proposal received negative responses from several Directorates-General over the course of the “inter-service consultation,” some of whom have voiced their concern that the proposed new framework would be stricter than the current legal framework and thus may have a negative impact on businesses. For example, parts of the proposal, such as the right to be forgotten, are viewed by some as potentially too burdensome for companies.

Tags: EU Data Protection Directive, European Commission, Legislation, Right to be Forgotten, Viviane Reding

European Commission to Host Safe Harbor Conference on March 19 in Washington

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Hunton & Williams LLP

The U.S. Department of Commerce has confirmed that the European Commission will host this year’s Safe Harbor Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2012. The venue marks a change from the tradition of previous sessions which have taken place in the host authority’s capital city (Washington, D.C. or Brussels). The Conference will follow the release of the European Commission’s draft revisions to the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46, which are expected on or around January 25, 2012. The widely leaked draft of the proposal does not contain language pertaining to the current Safe Harbor program that exists between the United States and Europe. The European Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce will negotiate the Safe Harbor Conference agenda over the next few weeks.

Tags: Department of Commerce, EU Data Protection Directive, European Commission, Safe Harbor

Hunton & Williams on the BCR Forefront

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

Shortly before Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, gave her keynote address on binding corporate rules (“BCRs”) at the IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress in Paris, Hunton & Williams co-authored two articles on BCRs with the French Data Protection Authority (“CNIL”):

Tags: Binding Corporate Rules, CNIL, Data Protection Authority, Data Transfer, Emmanuelle Bartoli, European Commission, France, Viviane Reding

European Commission Drafts to Reform the EU Data Protection Framework Enter Interservice Consultation

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

In early December 2011, drafts of two legal instruments prepared by DG Justice of the European Commission to reform the EU data protection framework entered interservice consultation. This process will give other Directorates-General of the Commission the opportunity to comment on the drafts before they are formally released as legislative proposals; accordingly, changes to the drafts are likely. Following this comment period, the drafts will enter the EU legislative process, which is likely to take at least two to three years before they become law. It is believed that Justice Commissioner and Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will formally announce final versions of the drafts at an appearance at the World Economic Forum in late January 2012.

Tags: Article 29 Working Party, Binding Corporate Rules, Data Controller, Data Processor, Data Protection Authority, EU Data Protection Directive, European Commission, European Data Protection Supervisor, European Parliament, Opt-In Consent, Viviane Reding

German Data Protection Association Issues Report on “Uniform Data Protection Law in Europe through Regulation”

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On November 17, 2011, the German Association for Data Protection and Data Security (“GDD”) held its 35th Privacy Conference (“DAFTA”) in Cologne, Germany. At the opening plenary session, Paul Nemitz, Director for Fundamental Rights and Citizenship of the European Commission, announced that the European Commission plans to implement a Regulation that is directly applicable to all EU Member States, to harmonize data protection laws in Europe.

Tags: Consumer Protection, Data Protection Authority, EU Member States, European Commission, Germany

European Privacy Officers Forum Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary in Brussels

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On Tuesday, September 27, 2011, the European Privacy Officers Forum (“EPOF”) celebrated its 10th anniversary with a gala reception at the BELvue Museum in Brussels. EPOF is composed of EU-based data protection compliance officers and internal legal counsel from over 30 multinational companies and public-sector institutions who meet three times a year in Brussels to exchange ideas and to hear presentations by data protection authorities and other government representatives. The gala, which was attended by approximately 100 people, featured opening remarks from Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor, the Honorable William E. Kennard, U.S. Ambassador to the EU, and Paul Nemitz, Director of Fundamental Rights and Citizenship of the European Commission.

Tags: European Commission, Peter Hustinx

Belgium Simplifies the Authorization Procedure for Binding Corporate Rules

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On July 13, 2011, the Belgian Privacy Commission (the “Belgian DPA”) signed a Protocol with the Ministry of Justice which significantly simplifies the authorization procedure for binding corporate rules (“BCRs”) under Belgian law. The Protocol was just made public on the Belgian DPA’s website. View the Protocol on BCRs (in both Dutch and French).

Tags: Article 29 Working Party, Belgium, Binding Corporate Rules, Cédric Burton, Data Controller, Data Transfer, EU Data Protection Directive, European Commission, Wim Nauwelaerts

Council of Europe Considers Amendments to Convention 108

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

On June 28-30, 2011, the Council of Europe’s Bureau of the Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Automatic Processing of Personal Data (known as the “T-PD-Bureau”) met in Strasbourg, France, to discuss, among other things, amending the Council of Europe’s Convention 108. Convention 108, which underlies the European Union’s legal framework for data protection, is the only legally-binding international convention that addresses data protection. Amendment of the Convention is thus closely linked to the current review of the EU data protection framework, and many of the same actors are involved in both exercises.

Tags: Binding Corporate Rules, Council of Europe, Data Transfer, EU Data Protection Directive, European Commission, European Data Protection Supervisor, International Chamber of Commerce, OECD, Richard Thomas, Right to be Forgotten, Uruguay

EU Commissioner Reding Signals Intention to Introduce Mandatory Data Breach Notification

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

Speaking at the British Bankers’ Association’s Data Protection and Privacy Conference in London on June 20, 2011, Viviane Reding, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, signaled her intention to streamline data protection to “simplify the regulatory environment” and “substantially reduce the administrative burden” for businesses. In return, Reding expects businesses to ensure “safe and transparent digital products and services.”

Tags: Consumer Protection, E-Privacy Directive, EU Member States, European Commission, Telecommunications, United Kingdom, Viviane Reding

Live Coverage from Budapest: Day Two of the Hungarian International Data Protection Conference

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Hunton & Williams LLP

As reported yesterday, on June 16 and 17, 2011, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union hosted a high-level international data protection conference in Budapest. The following are some highlights from the second day’s events:

During the “New principles in the field” panel, Professor Paul De Hert of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel gave an explanation of the case I v. Finland, which was decided by the European Court of Human Rights on July 17, 2008, and which both he and European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx agreed was a key document for the concept of accountability in European data protection law. Endre Szabó of the Hungarian Ministry of Public Administration and Justice noted that the principle of accountability had not yet been fully accepted by all members of the European Council.

Tags: Accountability, Council of Europe, Data Controller, Data Protection Authority, EU Data Protection Directive, European Commission, Hungary, Legislation, Peter Hustinx, Uruguay

Privacy and Information Security Law Blog - Global privacy and information security law updates and analysis

Tag Archives: European Commission

EU Commission Postpones Publication of Proposal for Revised Data Protection Directive

European Commission to Host Safe Harbor Conference on March 19 in Washington

Hunton & Williams on the BCR Forefront

German Data Protection Association Issues Report on “Uniform Data Protection Law in Europe through Regulation”

European Privacy Officers Forum Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary in Brussels

Belgium Simplifies the Authorization Procedure for Binding Corporate Rules

Council of Europe Considers Amendments to Convention 108

EU Commissioner Reding Signals Intention to Introduce Mandatory Data Breach Notification

Live Coverage from Budapest: Day Two of the Hungarian International Data Protection Conference

Published By Hunton & Williams

Search

Subscribe

Topics

Recent Updates

Blogroll

Privacy News