Protection of personal data and privacy in telecommunications sector
The European Commission, DG XIII, has published an open call for tenders for a study on "Member States' legislation on the protection of personal data and privacy in the telecommunications sector". On 24 October 1995 a European Parliament and Council Directive was formally adopted on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. Member States are required to implement the Directive in their national legislation before 24 October 1998. While awaiting the adoption of this general Directive, the Council had suspended work on the draft proposal for a Directive on the protection of privacy and personal data in the telecommunications sector dating back to 1990 and revised in 1994 (COM(94) 128 final). Discussion on this draft Directive has now resumed and its adoption is expected in 1996. Therefore, the information available to the Commission on the national legislation of the Member States with regard to the protection of privacy and personal data in telecommunication networks, which was compiled in 1990, needs to be updated. This will allow the Commission to assess the scope of additional and/or amending legislation which the Member States will be required to put in place after adoption of the Directive. The survey must cover the 15 Member States and the three EFTA countries which are members of the EEA. It should provide detailed factual information, in an accessible form, on the national legislation which is applicable in all 18 countries concerning the protection of privacy and personal data in the telecommunications sector. It must give a description of each national regime and any relevant background on the history, the present application and any planned changes. Finally it must provide a detailed comparison between the provisions of the draft Directive and the different national regimes. Requests for the terms of reference, and completed tenders, should be submitted to: European Commission DG XIII - Telecommunications, information market and exploitation of research Directorate A Ms. Alison Birkett 200 rue de la Loi (BU31 3/58) B-1049 Brussels Tel. +32-2-2968342/2968209; Fax +32-2-2968393