The European Parliament has endorsed the opening of negotiations between the Parliament itself and the Council concerning the procedure for adopting the proposal for the Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications.
The current directive on e-Privacy was last reviewed in 2009 and the proposal for review, which was submitted on the 10th January 2017, replaces this directive with a Regulation which complements and particularises the European framework on data protection bringing it into line with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) which will apply from 25th May 2018.
The Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications submitted by the Commission, will increase the protection of people’s private life and open up new opportunities for business. The measures presented aim at revising current rules, extending the scope to all communication service providers. The rules on privacy will now also apply to new operators who provide electronic communication services, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Gmail, iMessage and Viber. The current e-Privacy Directive, which now only applies to traditional communication service providers, will be updated.
The objective is to increase trust in and the security of the Digital Single Market striking the right balance between a high level of protection for consumers and the opportunity for businesses to innovate. In addition, the proposal provides that personal data processing carried out by European institutions and bodies will ensure the same level of protection as that guaranteed by single Member States, as laid down in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and it defines a strategic approach to questions regarding the cross-border transfer of personal data.
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