Another important intended change is the so-called ‘One-Stop Shop’. Individuals would be able to address any privacy concerns they have involving a company at their national authorities who will then deal with the relevant counterparts in the country where the company is located.

Also, European privacy laws would apply to all companies offering services in the European Union, regardless of the location of their business.

‘My proposals will help build trust in online services because people will be better informed about their rights and in more control of their information,’ Reding said. ‘A strong, clear and uniform legal framework at EU level will help to unleash the potential of the Digital Single Market and foster economic growth, innovation and job creation.’

‘A unified European privacy legislation brings several advantages: For the first time, it guarantees a reliable level of protection for EU citizens. Further, it helps overcome the utterly confusing legal framework within the EU. Today, the rules are different from country to country, costing the industry lots of money and also causing enormous legal uncertainty,’ explains Oliver Süme, eco Chairman for law and regulation. ‘ But unfortunately, we also have the impression that Ms Reding is going over the top, to some extent: in some areas, companies are being heavily burdened while there is no additional privacy for citizens. ’