Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data

The main purpose of this regulation is the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies.

The directive deals with the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.

Following the adoption of the regulation on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions, a wide-ranging security review took place.

The Directive's Article 29 created the "Working party on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data," commonly known as the "Article 29 Working Party".

The directive was presented as a sort of annex to the general directive on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data, which was adopted without problems: the procedure ended in agreement between the Council and Parliament, without the need for conciliation.

The European Data Protection Supervisor has the task of ensuring the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data through the Community institutions and bodies established by this Treaty or on the basis of it.

EPSO also ensures that applicants' personal data are processed in compliance with the rules on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data (Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000).

In addition, Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector also apply to data retained under the directive.

Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data provide an internal regulation which is a practical application of the principles of the Privacy Directive described below.