Press Release: EDPS Annual Report 2010: an increased effort is required to ensure effective data protection in practice

On 15 June 2011 Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), and Giovanni Buttarelli, Assistant Supervisor, presented their Annual Report of activities for 2010 to the press. This Report covers the sixth full year of activity of the EDPS as a new, independent supervisory body.

The year 2010 saw some major trends and policy opportunities which are driving forward a more effective protection of personal data. They include the increasingly visible impact of the Lisbon Treaty which, by providing a strong legal basis for comprehensive data protection in all areas of EU policy, has firmly placed data protection at the heart of the EU policy agenda. It also encompasses the ongoing review of the EU legal data protection framework, which is raising high expectations, particularly in view of the growing importance of data protection in the international arena. Finally, the Stockholm programme and the EU Digital Agenda are both highly significant for privacy and data protection.