In a letter sent to Commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Michael McGrath on 16 June, ECommerce Europe, the main lobby for European online retailers, expressed its concern about the consequences of the possible reopening of the Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
While the association “welcomes” the Commission’s recent initiative “to explore potential adjustments to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”, it nevertheless advocates a “cautious approach” with regard to any reopening of the main text, which would present “significant legal and practical risks outweighing the potential benefits”.
The organisation advocates a reform that is “carefully calibrated”, if there is to be any reform at all. “The GDPR has been a driver of change and businesses across Europe have made significant investments to ensure compliance”, the lobby points out.
ECommerce Europe is calling on the Commission to “help” the players concerned to align themselves with the Regulation’s obligations, rather than taking the route of simplification, which could “trigger widespread reinterpretations of well-established principles, add considerable legal uncertainty, complexity and inconsistencies to the regulatory landscape”.
The ‘omnibus’ simplification legislation on ‘small midcaps’ (companies of intermediate size, up to 750 employees and €150 million turnover), presented on 21 May by the Commission, exempts certain categories of European companies from the obligation to keep a register of personal data processing activities (see EUROPE 13645/2).
This specific reopening is now leading to fears that the European Council will initiate a wider revision of the regulation, which was identified by the Draghi report as a brake on innovation.
To see the letter, go to https://aeur.eu/f/hic (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)