The GDPR is on the home straight: the Council of the European Union formally adopts a revised version of the General Data Protection Regulation at first reading
Published on 17th Feb 2016
In December 2015 we reported that agreement had been reached on the long-awaited General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR). We explained how the GDPR shifts the balance towards consumers and summarised the key changes for businesses.
On 8 April 2016, the Council of the European Union (the Council) announced that it had adopted its position at first reading on the GDPR. This represents a key step in the data protection reform process.
What next?
The European Parliament is due to vote on whether it approves the Council’s position in its plenary session on Thursday 14 April. It is expected that the European Parliament will approve the Council’s position without amendments.
The text would then need to be formally adopted by the Council for a second time (which should be a formality), before being translated into the official languages of the European Union.
The translations of the text will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (expected in June or July this year). The GDPR will enter into force twenty days after publication and will be directly applicable EU law in Member States two years later.
Revised text
We previously reviewed and commented on the version of the GDPR which was agreed on 15 December 2015. In preparation for the second reading of the European Parliament, the Council published a new version, dated 6 April 2016.
No substantive changes have been made in that new version. The text has been subjected to a thorough proof read, which has clarified any potentially unclear wording and fixed the much-complained-about numbering issues.
Further updates to come…
We will be keeping a close eye on developments this week, and will keep you posted as the GDPR (finally) approaches the finishing line!
If you want to find out more about this topic, please get in touch with one of our experts.
