Brussels, 04/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a document published on Thursday, the European Commission indicated that it was seeking to amend European legislation on the protection of personal data, in an effort to adapt it to new technologies and the “right to be forgotten” on the internet. Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding presented her new data protection strategy and declared that “the protection of personal data is a fundamental right; to guarantee this right, we need clear and consistent data protection rules. We also need to bring our laws up to date with the challenges raised by new technologies and globalisation”. This policy review will be used by the Commission with the results of a public consultation to revise the EU's 1995 Data Protection Directive.
The strategy presented on Thursday lists a number of proposals for modernising the European data protection framework. Firstly, it emphasises the strengthening of individuals' rights so that the collection and use of personal data is limited to the minimum necessary. Individuals should also be clearly informed in a transparent way on how, why, by whom, and for how long their data is collected and used. People should be able to give their informed consent to the processing of their personal data, for example when surfing online, and should have the “right to be forgotten” when their data is no longer needed or they want their data to be deleted. The Commission is also seeking to revise data protection rules in the area of police and criminal justice so that individuals' personal data is also protected in these areas. The Commission is furthermore reviewing the 2006 Data Retention Directive, under which companies are required to store communication traffic data for a period of between six months and two years. The Commission intends to ensure high levels of protection for data transferred outside the EU by improving and streamlining procedures for international data transfers and is seeking to harmonise the role and powers granted to the data protection authorities. Finally, this strategy also intends to enhance the “single market” dimension by reducing red tape on companies and ensuring genuinely equal conditions between the different stakeholders. The different ideas put forward by the Commission will be subject to public consultation until 15 January 2011. (B.C./transl.fl)