Brussels, 12 June 2015 — The Industry Coalition for Data Protection (ICDP) cautiously awaits next week’s adoption of a Council General Approach on the General Data Protection Regulation. ICDP has long supported the core objective of the European Commission to create a single, harmonised and modern set of data protection rules for Europe, and acknowledges it is a key building block of the Digital Single Market.

“We recognise the difficulties faced by Member States throughout the negotiation process and we commend the Latvian Presidency for its hard work over the past 6 months,” said Chris Sherwood, head of public policy for Allegro Group speaking on behalf of ICDP. “Achieving a Council General Approach next week will be a significant milestone in the process of modernising Europe’s data protection rules for the digital economy.”

“While we believe that the Council text has improved the European Commission’s proposal in many areas, we remain concerned that the General Data Protection Regulation risks increasing red tape and creating legal uncertainty for businesses in Europe,” Sherwood continued. “In particular, there is work still to do to ensure a workable one-stop-shop mechanism, and to implement a well-defined risk-based approach in the Regulation.”

“We urge the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission to use the upcoming trialogue discussions to ensure that Europe’s revised privacy regime is ultimately flexible and future proof enough to allow for the development of future technologies such as the Internet of Things, data analytics and cloud computing services which will be key drivers for the European digital economy.”

About ICDP

ICDP is comprised of 20 associations representing thousands of European and international companies who are building, delivering, and advancing the digital experience. Members of ICDP include: ACT | The App Association, American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU), BSA | The Software Alliance (BSA), Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR), DIGITALEUROPE, European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), E-Commerce Europe, European Digital Media Association (EDiMA), European Multi-channel and Online Trade Association (EMOTA), European Publishers Council (EPC), European Internet Services Providers Association (EuroISPA), Federation of European Direct and Interactive Marketing (FEDMA), Federation of European National Collection Associations (FENCA), GS1, IAB Europe, Interactive Software, Federation of Europe (ISFE), Japan Business Council in Europe (JBCE), and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA)