Key concerns for research discussed at meeting with Commission
On 20 July 2010, a joint efamro-Esomar delegation met with Marie-Hélène Boulanger, Head of Unit for Data Protection at DG Justice.
At an informative meeting, Ms Boulanger told the delegation that a new timetable for the review of the data protection framework has been agreed which means that a new legislative proposal will be published in June 2011, not November 2010 as previously scheduled. The Commission will issue a communication on data protection at the end of the year and aims to complete consultation within the Commission by the end of April 2011. Ms Boulanger also confirmed that there will be further public consultation on revisions to the directive in 2010.
Following the meeting efamro believes that areas that the research sector needs to focus on in future contacts with the Commission and Parliament, as well as national authorities, are:
- The definition of profiling;
- The difference between the legal age of childhood and the consent requirements for data collection;
- A move from unambiguous to explicit consent for data collection and processing; and
- Clarification of the interpretation of "statistical data" and "data for scientific purposes".
There will be special conference on 23 November 2010, hosted by the Belgian Commission for the Protection of Privacy, on privacy and scientific research. Ms Boulanger said that this conference will be used by the Commission to inform is decisions on the need to clarify the interpretation of statistical data and data for scientific purposes. Both efamro and Esomar intend to participate to jointly represent the interests of market, social and opinion research with one unified position on all of the above issues. In the intervening period efamro and Esomar will be refining its arguments, in consultation with its stakeholders, to ensure that the most robust response can be put forward for research.