EU Justice Commissioner Claims Ministers Value Security Over Private Data Protection

Viviane Reding, Europe's current Justice Commissioner, recently defended her decision to break proposed data protection legislation into two parts, claiming that the split was necessary to appease national ministers from EU nations who prioritize security over private data protection.

The two pieces of legislation were first published on January 25. One is a regulation aimed at improving European cybersecurity. If passed, companies based in EU nations will be obligated to meet regulatory compliance standards which require them to report any data breaches within 24 hours of the event. Additionally, it includes a clause which allows any EU citizen who so desires to request that any of his private information stored by companies be permanently deleted.

The second part of the legislation is a directive aimed to guide police and judicial organizations in the handling of data in criminal investigations and prosecutions. Because it is a directive, rather than a regulation, individual EU nations will be able to make their own decisions regarding the exact degree and means of implicating these policies.

As CIO reports, Reding claims that the ministers for individual EU states were concerned by the possibility of being forced to adapt their police and judicial policies in a way contrary to their desires, and consequently would have offered greater resistance to legislation which mandated regulatory compliance in all areas of data protection and handling. By issuing a directive rather than a regulation, Reding hopes that the legislation will be adopted more quickly. According to Reding, speed is worth a reduction in the degree of regualtion, as she claims that EU businesses and individuals "can't wait two years for adoption."