On 10 January 2017 the European Commission proposed a new Regulation on the protection of personal data processed by European Union (EU) institutions and bodies, to ensure greater privacy in electronic communications.
This proposal, which provides for the repeal of Regulation (CE) No. 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 18 December 2000 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2001:008:0001:0022:en:PDF, currently in force, aims to align the rules for electronic communications with the General Data Protection Regulation and extend the rules to the new providers of electronic communications services, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Gmail, iMessage, and Viber.
EU citizens and companies will thus benefit from the same level of protection and from a single legal framework for privacy and data protection issues.
This Regulation should be approved by the European Parliament and by the Council on 25 May 2018, when the General Data Protection Regulation will start to be implemented by the Member States.
The Communication on Exchanging and Protecting Personal Data in a Globalised World http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/document.cfm?doc_id=41157 was also published on this date; it sets out a strategic approach to international transfers of personal data.
Further information:
- Proposal for a Regulation on privacy and electronic communications https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/proposal-regulation-privacy-and-electronic-communications
- Commission proposes high level of privacy rules for all electronic communications and updates data protection rules for EU institutions http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-16_en.htm
