Overhaul of European Data Protection Law backed by powers to impose substantial fines

30 January 2012

The European Commission has published its proposals for the long awaited overhaul of European Data Protection law.

The new General Data Protection Regulation 2012 aims to help businesses by harmonising Data Protection law across the EC and to eliminate the differences in approach currently taken by individual European countries.

However, in introducing these changes, the Commission has taken the opportunity to introduce a more robust data protection regime with a wider scope of application, stricter conditions, additional obligations, and heavier fines and sanctions than has previously applied in the UK.

Overhaul of European Data Protection Law backed by powers to impose substantial fines