Directive (EU) 2022/228 amending Directive 2014/41/EU, as regards its alignment with Union rules on the protection of personal data

Summary:

Directive (EU) 2022/228 - signed by the co-legislators on 16 February 2022 - introducing amendments to Directive 2014/41/EU as regards its alignment with EU rules on the protection of personal data.

Further information:

Directive 2014/41/EU introduced the European Investigation Order, which enables judicial authorities in one Member State of the European Union (EU) to request that evidence be gathered in and transferred from another EU country. Directive (EU) 2016/680 entered into force in May 2016 and it applies to both domestic and cross-border processing of personal data competent authorities for the purposes of preventing, investigating, detecting or prosecuting criminal offences and executing criminal penalties.

Its Article 62(6) requires the European Commission to review, by May 2019, other EU legal acts that regulate competent authorities’ personal data processing for law enforcement purposes. The outcome of that review was set out in a Communication published in June 2020. Directive 2014/41/EU was highlighted as one of the legal that should be aligned with Directive (EU) 2016/680.

The draft law was tabled by the European Commission on 20 January 2021. Following an informal agreement between the co-legislators on a compromise text, the plenary of the European Parliament endorsed the proposed Directive on 14 December 2021, followed by the Council of the European Union on 25 January 2022. The Act was signed by the co-legislators on 16 February 2022 and published in the Official Journal on 21 February 2022.

Official

EUR-LEX: COM(2021)21: Proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2014/41/EU, as regards its alignment with EU rules on the protection of personal data https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2021:21:FIN

European Parliament: Legislative Observatory: Procedure File for Proposal on European Investigation Order in criminal matters: alignment with Union rules on the protection of personal data https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?lang=en&reference=2021/0009(COD)

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