The Art. 29-working Group (representatives of the EU Data Protection Agencies) has recently launched a public Consultation on the legal framework for the fundamental right to protection of personal data ( can be reached via this link), welcoming contributions from everybody ( citizens, organizations and public authorities).
The Data Protection Directive was implemented in 1995 by the European Commission. In recent years a possible revision of the directive has been the subject of ongoing debate among political institutions and non governmental organisations and experts motivated by the introduction of anti-terror legislation after 11th September 2001 in particular but also in the light of new technologies and the growth of online social networks like Facebook.
Allow me to draw your attention to a recent report ”Review of the European Data Protection Directive” published by Rand Europe with recommendations on how to improve the data protection regime for citizens living in European countries : http://danskprivacynet.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/review_of_eu_dp_directive.pdf
I warmly encourage contributions from as many of you as possible. The intention is to issue a Pan-European joint statement coordinated with data protection and privacy and human rights advocates cross Europe. I strongly believe that WG29 would attach importance to a joint European initiative.
The European Privacy Institute is working on a coordination setup with a couple of other organizations in order to formulate recommendations based on the received contributions. In the meantime contact The EuroeanPrivacy Institute for furhter information or please leave a comment.
Contribution deadline: 31 th December 2009.
Will be updated.