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Document 52013XX1207(04)
Executive summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Communication from the Commission on ‘The Digital Agenda for Europe — Driving European growth digitally’
Executive summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Communication from the Commission on ‘The Digital Agenda for Europe — Driving European growth digitally’
Executive summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Communication from the Commission on ‘The Digital Agenda for Europe — Driving European growth digitally’
OJ C 358, 7.12.2013, p. 17–18
(BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)
OJ C 358, 7.12.2013, p. 13–13
(HR)
7.12.2013 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
C 358/17 |
Executive summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Communication from the Commission on ‘The Digital Agenda for Europe — Driving European growth digitally’
(The full text of this Opinion can be found in English, French and German on the EDPS website http://www.edps.europa.eu)
2013/C 358/10
I. Introduction
1.1. Consultation of the EDPS
1. |
On 18 December 2012, the Commission adopted a Communication on ‘The Digital Agenda for Europe — Driving European growth digitally’ (hereafter ‘the Communication’) (1). |
2. |
Before the adoption of the Communication, the EDPS was given the possibility to provide informal comments to the Commission. He welcomes that some of his comments have been taken into account in the Communication. |
3. |
In the light of the importance of the subject, the EDPS has decided to adopt this Opinion on his own initiative. |
1.2. Objectives and scope of the Communication and aim of the EDPS Opinion
4. |
The Communication is put forward by the Commission as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy. It complements the Digital Agenda adopted on 19 May 2010 (2). The objective of this new Communication on the Digital Agenda is to further strengthen European digital leadership and to help complete the Digital Single Market by 2015. |
5. |
The Communication identifies seven key policy areas where the Commission will be deploying particular efforts to enable and stimulate the development of the digital economy:
|
6. |
The EDPS welcomes the proposed policy actions aimed to stimulate the use of new technologies by businesses and individuals. The EDPS however underlines that these measures must be accompanied by appropriate activities to ensure the respect of data protection and privacy. |
7. |
Some of the main data protection challenges raised in the context of the EU policy actions in the field of the Digital Agenda have already been underlined and analysed by the EDPS in his Opinion of 18 March 2010 in relation to the 2010 Communication on the Digital Agenda (4). The EDPS particularly emphasised the need to embed privacy by design and privacy by default in the design of new ICT. In this Opinion, the EDPS will therefore focus on providing comments on the areas for further action identified in the Communication. |
III. Conclusions
26. |
The EDPS welcomes that some attention has been given to privacy and data protection in the Communication. However, the EDPS underlines that data protection requirements should receive appropriate consideration from industry, Member States and the Commission when implementing initiatives foreseen in the Digital Agenda. In particular he:
|
Done at Brussels, 10 April 2013.
Peter HUSTINX
European Data Protection Supervisor
(1) COM(2012) 784 final.
(2) COM(2010) 245 final.
(3) Stands for ‘Research, Development and Innovation’.
(4) See EDPS Opinion on ‘Promoting Trust in the Information Society by Fostering Data Protection and Privacy’, 18 March 2010, available on EDPS website at http://www.edps.europa.eu