Introduction
The General Data Protection Regulation (hereafter ‘the Regulation’) applies across the European Union since over one year. It is at the centre of a coherent and modernised EU data protection landscape that also includes the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive and the Data Protection Regulation for EU institutions and bodies
. This framework is to be completed by the e-Privacy Regulation which is currently in the legislative process.
Strong data protection rules are essential to guarantee the fundamental right to the protection of personal data.
They are central to a democratic society and an important component of an increasingly data-driven economy.
The EU aspires to seize the many opportunities that the digital transformation offers in terms of services, jobs and innovation, while at the same time tackling the challenges these bring.
Identity theft, leaks of sensitive data, discrimination of individuals, in-built bias, sharing illegal content and the development of intrusive surveillance tools are just a few examples of issues that increasingly feature in the public debate where it is
clear that people expect their data to be protected.
