Forget the Euro - Data is the new number one currency

Last week, almost unheralded amidst all the press coverage of the Greek debt crisis, the European Commission issued a press release confirming the Ministers in the Justice Council had agreed, in principal, to the Commission’s proposals for new EU-wide data protection laws.

The European Commission believes that ‘with a fully functioning Digital Single Market, [we] can create up to €415 billion in additional growth, hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and a vibrant knowledge-based society.'

They see a lack of consumer trust as being the biggest barrier to full acceptance of e-commerce and other online services.

The new law, which is tabled for adoption later this year, includes agreement to:-

•    Reduce red tape by having one set of data protection legislation across the EU
•    Strengthen the ‘right to be forgotten’
•    Force non-European companies trading in Europe to comply with the same rules as their European counterparts
•    Strengthen enforcement legislation for data protection breaches

This latest press release, coming on top of the launch of an antitrust competition enquiry into the e-commerce sector by the Commission last month, highlights the need for any business trading on the internet to keep up-to-date with current data protection legislation and consumer protection laws. Here, at Brethertons, we have experts who will review your terms and conditions to ensure they are up-to-date and compliant with current legislation saving you time, money and the risk of bad publicity. 

So if you haven’t looked at your terms of business for a while or you simply don’t have any, contact us today.