25/07/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 25 July, the European Commission referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union on the grounds that Greece and Spain should have transposed the Data Protection Directive in the field of law enforcement (the so-called "Police" Directive No 2016/680) more than a year ago and that this has not been done. The Commission considers that this situation "creates a different level of protection of peoples' rights and freedoms and hampers data exchanges between Greece and Spain on one side and other Member States who transposed the Directive on the other side". It claims a penalty of €1 million from Greece and €5 million from Spain, with a penalty for the number of days the Directive has not been transposed and a daily penalty payment the day after the judgment. (SPj)