Progress For European Data Protection Reform Halted

We recently reported on the excitement surrounding the breakthrough vote by European Parliament on 21 October which put the delayed overhaul of European data protection rules back on track.

Following this landmark vote, Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor, issued a press release, stating, "It is essential that the European Union acts quickly so that political agreement is reached before the European Parliament Elections. We look to the Council to maintain the momentum with equal vigour and purpose." Peter Schaar, the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, similarly commented in a press release, "I hope that the governments of the 28 EU Member States represented in the Council conceive this as an opportunity to decide rapidly the reform of data protection.... [T]he success of the reform should be a top priority!"