Brussels, 21/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - During a joint press conference on the reform of the 1995 rules, following almost four years of discussions, EP rapporteurs Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, Germany) and Marju Lauristin (S&D, Estonia), the European Commissioner responsible for this dossier, Vera Jourova and the Luxembourg Minister for Justice, Félix Braz, welcomed the success they had achieved. On 15 December, the European Parliament and Council of the EU, managed to reach an agreement on the general regulation on data protection and directive on data processing by the legal and police authorities, presented in January 2012.
The EP Civil Liberties Committee endorsed this compromise on 17 December (see EUROPE 11456) and EU ambassadors did so too on Friday afternoon 18 December. The German rapporteur believes that these new rules benefit both consumers and enterprise. He underlined the progress made possible by these new rules, such as the right to personal data portability, uniform application of the law and stronger sanctions.
Vera Jourova emphasised that the information provided to consumers on how their data is used will be strengthened. With the right to forget, individuals will be able to ask search engines to withdraw personal information, although this has to be in balance with the principle of the freedom of expression and right to information. The Commission will now work with the respective national authorities to implement these new rules, explained the Commissioner and information campaigns would be launched among European citizens to raise awareness about their new rights. Reform must be effective by the middle of 2018. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)