ARTICLE · 23 MAY 2017

Status Update on the ePrivacy Regulation: 25 May 2018 is Unrealistic

Reed Smith (Worldwide)

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The new European data protection regime will enter into force in about one year. The General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") will provide the general framework.

European UnionPrivacy

Sven Schonhofen LL.M.

Dr. Alexander Hardinghaus, LL.M.

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The new European data protection regime will enter into force in about one year. The General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") will provide the general framework.

Besides the GDPR, the European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications ("ePrivacy Regulation") on 10 January 2017. The ePrivacy Regulation will provide specific rules for the online space on cookies, analytics and spamming. It seeks to align the rules for electronic communications with the new standards of the GDPR. We have previously provided a summary of the main provisions of the proposed ePrivacy Regulation here.

The ePrivacy Regulation is currently under review. The Council of the European Union ("Council") has now provided a report on the examination done so far. The Article 29 Working Party ("WP29") has previously provided its analysis.

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