GDPR Reform Proposals Meet Mixed Reactions from EU Lawmakers
The European Commission's Digital Omnibus, announced Nov. 19 (see 2511190005), sparked strong support and opposition from EU lawmakers at a streamed Tuesday evening plenary discussion with Henna Virkkunen, EC executive vice-president, tech sovereignty, security and democracy.
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The omnibus is part of a three-pronged effort to make life easier for European companies, Virkkunen said. It, along with the Data Union Strategy and European Business Wallet, is an "immediate answer" to calls to reduce burdens on businesses and spur innovation, she said. The omnibus doesn't, however, mean the EC is in any way undermining its digital rulebook, she stressed.
The omnibus proposed changes to the GDPR (see 2511240001) which, Virkkunen said, should help businesses as well as consumers. Among other things, she noted, the proposals include simpler requirements around data breach notifications and changes to reflect judgments by the European Court of Justice and European Data Protection Board opinions.
European Parliament Members' (MEPs) reactions to the proposals showed divisions among political parties. Representatives from the center-right European People's Party (EPP) Group backed the EC omnibus proposal, with one parliament member, Tomas Tobe of Sweden, urging the EC to move faster and cut red tape. The GDPR is "perhaps the very symbol of where we have over-regulated and not found the right balance" with innovation, he said.
The proposal for the omnibus comes "at the worst time possible" given pressure from the U.S., said Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba, of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) Group. He accused the EC of opening up discussions on rules that are the very bedrock of the EU framework. Reopening the GDPR could end up benefiting U.S. companies, said Spanish S&D member Laura Ballanin Ceruza.
Legislators from the political party The Left and the left-leaning Greens/European Free Alliance said the EC is selling out Europeans' data protection and leaving too much discretion on the use of personal data to data holders. Some say rules such as the GDPR are too complicated, said French MEP Laurence Farreng of the liberal, centrist Renew Europe Group. But he asked if they are overly complicated for European or American companies.
The discussion highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance between innovation and rights protections, Virkkunen said. The proposal is the first step of urgent measures to boost EU competitiveness, she said.
The EC is already engaged in a digital fairness fitness check to determine how it can simplify the EU digital rulebook while staying true to European values, Virkkunen added.