ITI Calls on EU Council to Take Balanced Approach to GDPR Following Parliament Vote
BRUSSELS – Global tech trade association ITI, the Information Technology Industry Council, released the following reaction from ITI Policy Manager for Europe Laura Wiesenfeld after the European Parliament’s plenary vote on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Procedural Regulation:
“Unfortunately, today’s vote threatens the viability of the GDPR’s essential One-Stop-Shop mechanism, reduces confidentiality protections, restricts rights of investigated parties, and turns the enforcement process into an adversarial one. To ensure the GDPR can be efficient and effective across Europe, a more balanced approach to its enforcement is essential. We urge the Council to use this opportunity to work with industry to guarantee the law can properly enhance the functioning of GDPR in the years to come.”
ITI has urged lawmakers to consider a more balanced and practical approach in the enforcement of cross-border data protection cases on GDPR Procedural Rules. Specifically, ITI has encouraged lawmakers to:
- Preserve confidentiality as ensuring inquiry documents confidential is key to preserving the integrity of the decision-making process;
- Uphold the One Stop Shop mechanism to provide legal certainty to businesses operating in more than one Member State;
- Safeguard the investigated parties’ right to be heard in practice at all stages;
- Ensure that the process does not turn into an adversarial procedure; and
- Incentivize early resolution and enhance cooperation and amicable resolutions at all stages.
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