Data protection in Community institutions and bodies

PURPOSE: to ensure the introduction, the application and the monitoring of the data protection rules in the Community institutions and bodies.

COMMUNITY MEASURE: Regulation 45/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals and bodies and on the free movement of such data.

CONTENT: in accordance with the present Regulation, the institutions and the Community bodies must ensure the protection of the fundamental freedoms of natural persons, and in particular the right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data, in order to ensure the free flow of personal data in the Community.

The Regulation covers:

- the general rules on the lawfulness of the processing of personal data : data quality, lawfulness of processing, change of purpose, transfer of personal data within and between Community institutions or bodies, transfer of personal data to recipients, other than Community institutions and bodies, special categories of processing, information to be given to the data subject, exemptions and restrictions, confidentiality and security of processing, data protection officer, prior checking by the European Data Protection Supervisor and obligation to cooperate;
- remedies;
- protection of personal data and privacy in the context of internal telecommunications networks;
- independent supervisory authority (appointment, independence, professional secrecy, duties, powers).

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 22.01.2001.