EU prepares for GDPR simplification

The European Commission is planning to issue a proposal for simplifying the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the next couple of weeks.

The proposal will be a part of a forthcoming omnibus package, according to Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection.

“We have already brought forward the first round of omnibus proposals, and they have to make their way through the legislative process over the period ahead,” McGrath announced last Friday.

One of the specific points that the Commission plans to examine is the impact of GDPR on SMEs and smaller organizations related to record-keeping obligations, he added.

The package was planned for April 16th but was rescheduled for May 21st. According to unnamed sources quoted by Politico, the proposal to simplify privacy rules will be delivered by June.

The effort is a part of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plan to cut red tape and increase the competitiveness of European businesses. Another part of the initiative is packages aimed at simplifying sustainability reporting and access to EU investments.

Other lawmakers are also backing the GDPR cuts, including Denmark’s Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen who noted that the EU doesn’t need to regulate privacy “in a stupid way.” Denmark is expected to chair the EU Council in the second part of the year.

However, privacy advocates such as digital rights group EDRi have raised concerns that the data regulation could come under pressure from lobbying groups.

Article Topics

data privacy  |  data protection  |  EU  |  European Commission  |  GDPR  |  regulation