A digital Europe needs data protection

2 Aug 2017 11:57 AM

The successful implementation of an EU-wide once-only principle to enable the lawful exchange of data across EU borders depends on ensuring that the relevant data protection principles are respected, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said yesterday, as he published his Opinion on the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation establishing a single digital gateway and the once-only principle.

Giovanni Buttarelli, EDPS, said: “This proposal is one of the first EU instruments that explicitly refers to the once-only principle, which aims to ensure that citizens and businesses do not need to submit the same information to a public administration more than once. I welcome this initiative, but also recommend that the Commission take into account some key issues related to data protection in their continued development of the once-only principle. Additional clarity on important data protection principles, such as the legal basis of the processing, purpose limitation and data minimisation will reinforce the protection of the rights of individuals.”

The Commission’s proposal aims to modernise administrative services by facilitating the availability, quality and accessibility of information across the EU. It foresees the exchange of evidence for specified cross-border procedures, such as a request for recognition of a diploma, through a technical system, which will allow authorities to exchange data directly, at the explicit request of the individuals concerned and without these individuals having to re-submit documents that are already available in another Member State. 

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