On "Data Protection Day" EMMA reinforces publishers' ongoing commitment to the respect of data protection rights

Today, 28 January, marks "Data Protection Day", which commemorates the signing of the Council of Europe Convention, known as the “108 Convention”, in January 1981. On this occasion, EMMA would like to underline its members’ ongoing commitment to the respect of fundamental privacy and data protection rights.

2016 is an important year because of the formal adoption of a new Data Protection Regulation at the EU level. Four years after the European Commission presented its draft proposal, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached an agreement that sets out a completely new legal framework for businesses relying on the processing of personal data for their activities, which includes magazine publishers.

The new Regulation will come into force in 2018, but EMMA and its members are already looking ahead now in order to engage with relevant public authorities and government officials to make sure that the newly adopted rules do not negatively impact press freedom and press publishers’ business models. In such a time when citizens are legitimately concerned as regards their privacy, especially their privacy online, it is important not to forget that other fundamental rights – such as freedom of expression and the right to information, that press publishers both highly value and represent – form the backbone of our democratic societies and, for that reason, deserve careful attention. For this reason, press publishers remain cautious as regards the application of the future Regulation.

For further information contact:

Pierre Dagard 
EU Affairs Officer

pierre.dagard@magazinemedia.eu

+32 2 536 06 08