EU+Directive+on+the+protection+of+personal+data

The [|EU Directive on the protection of personal data] was enacted in 1995 by the European Parliament. Its objects were to:
 * 1) protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons, and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data and:
 * 2) ensure that member States shall neither restrict nor prohibit the free flow of personal data between Member States for reasons connected with the protection afforded under paragraph 1.

The EU Directive codified the principles identified in the OECD Guidelines for the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data. It applied to all member states and required that each state enact legislation to give effect to the provisions of the directive.

The EU Directive was a major impetus to the development of privacy legislation in other parts of the world due the the strict provisions of [|Articles 25 and 26] concerning the transfer of personal data to third countries. These articles required that EU member states restrict the flow of personal data to those countries without an adequate level (i.e. comparable to the level stated in the EU Directive) of protection. Where adequate protection is not available significant conditions, including the consent of the data subject, were to be imposed. This potential barrier to trade with Europe was one reason many countries implemented comparable privacy legislation.

External Links:

[|EU Directive on the protection of personal data] [|OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data]