Saturday

23rd Sep 2023

MEPs want to scrap US data agreements

  • MEPs want to enter negotiations on data protection reform with member states as soon as possible (Photo: Jan Albrecht)

MEPs want the EU to scrap data protection agreements with the US as they increase pressure on member states to start negotiations on reforming data protection rules in the EU.

German Green Jan Philipp Albrecht on Wednesday (12 March) told reporters in Strasbourg that it would be irresponsible of member states to keep postponing negotiations on the reforms after over two years of discussions.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"We need reform and the regulation as soon as possible so that we can start negotiations directly after the [May] elections," he said.

Deputies at Tuesday’s debate in the assembly vented their frustration at the delay.

The Greek EU presidency, for its part, is set to start talks among member states around June.

Albrecht, who steered the regulation through the parliament, said giant US tech and Internet companies are exploiting loopholes to work around Europe’s outdated data protection rules.

Ireland’s low data protection standards, he pointed out, has attracted major firms like Facebook to set up headquarters in Dublin.

“The same for Google so they know they will have softer or lighter treatment when it comes to data protection and they know for example they will get that in Ireland and not in other countries like Austria, France or Spain so we want to end that situation,” said Albrecht.

But Ireland’s data protection commissioner Billy Hawkes rejects the label that he is a light touch regulator.

He told this website in January that there is a misunderstanding about the Irish approach.

“The effective enforcement action takes place behind closed doors. Our objective cannot be primarily to punish, the objective has to be that people’s rights are being respected,” he said.

Hawkes, for his part, dropped an investigation into Facebook Ireland Ltd’s alleged involvement in the so-called Prism scandal, which is said to give the National Security Agency (NSA) back-door entry into major American tech and Internet firms.

Austria-based pro-transparency group Europe vs. Facebook issued the complaint late last year following the NSA revelations made by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

Hawkes noted that the so-called Safe Harbour agreement, which is designed to ensure that firms follow EU data protection laws when processing the personal data of EU citizens, is being respected.

“We concluded that there was nothing to investigate. Personal data had been legitimately transferred to the US under the [European] Commission's Safe Harbour ‘adequacy’ decision which provides for access to such data for law enforcement purposes,” said Hawkes.

Hawkes pointed out that he is bound, under Irish law, by the commission’s adequacy decisions.

MEPs vote to scrap data agreement

But MEPs on Wednesday voted en masse to have the Safe Harbour agreement replaced. The resolution also condemns the bulk collection of personal data by American and some European intelligence agencies.

Austrian law student Max Schrems, who is behind Europe vs. Facebook, said Ireland’s high court would hear his Prism case at the end of April.

The judge is set to decide whether Hawkes will need to investigate the complaint.

Schrems is confident the court will decide in his favour. But still he thinks little will change in the long run.

“The problem that data protection commissioners (DPC) have is that they would have to tell Facebook to turn off their servers tomorrow. And no DPC in the world would have the balls to do that,” he told this website.

Meanwhile, the assembly on Wednesday also endorsed a regulation on how to handle data between people and business, as well as a separate directive on data protection in law enforcement. Over 620 MEPs voted in favour of the regulation, while just over 370 voted in favour of the directive.

Interview

Facebook, Skype challenged in EU over spy affair

A group of Austrian students have challenged the EU-based subsidiaries of Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Skype and Yahoo on data privacy following revelations that they allowed US intelligence services to search to Europeans' data.

EU judgement on Facebook to take over a year

Any EU-level judgement on a case filed against Facebook for its alleged involvement in helping the Americans snoop on millions of people is likely to take over a year.

EU court scraps data surveillance law

The EU court has struck down a law on internet and phone surveillance, saying loose wording opens the door to untoward snooping.

Opinion

Orbán's 'revenge law' is an Orwellian crackdown on education

On Tuesday, the Hungarian parliament passed a troubling piece of legislation known by its critics as the 'revenge law', which aims to punish and intimidate teachers who dare to defy Viktor Orbán's regime. This law is a brutally oppressive tool.

Latest News

  1. Europe's energy strategy: A tale of competing priorities
  2. Why Greek state workers are protesting new labour law
  3. Gloves off, as Polish ruling party fights for power
  4. Here's the headline of every op-ed imploring something to stop
  5. Report: Tax richest 0.5%, raise €213bn for EU coffers
  6. EU aid for Africa risks violating spending rules, Oxfam says
  7. Activists push €40bn fossil subsidies into Dutch-election spotlight
  8. Europe must Trump-proof its Ukraine arms supplies

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us