(openPR) - In his recently fully published report on the Data Retention Directive, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Peter Hustinx criticizes the directive as incompatible with the values and laws of the Union. Neither is the legislation that forces member states to store communication data of all 500 million EU citizens for 6 to 24 months deemed necessary, nor proportional.


The directive is rated as "the most privacy invasive instrument ever adopted by the EU in terms of scale and the number of people it affects". Instead of data retention, the EDPS argues in favour of other, less privacy intrusive means such as quick freeze procedures, which are only to be employed in cases of reasonable suspicion rather than on the general population.

"The European Data Protection Supervisor takes the view that the Data Retention Directive does not meet the requirements imposed by the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection” Hustinx summarizes his 16-page analysis.

LYMEC President Alexander Plahr comments: "This must be a wakeup call for the Commission! The legislation we have on data retention is not compatible with the fundamental rights guaranteed to all citizens of the Union. This is a smack in the face for the advocates of data retention.

LYMEC calls on the European Parliament and the LIBE committee to issue a strong statement on the Commission's catastrophic and flawed evaluation report in regards to data retention. The Parliament must act on behalf of the European citizens and send a strong signal towards Commissioner Malmström that the data retention directive must be scrapped!"

About LYMEC:

The European Liberal Youth, abbreviated as LYMEC, is a pan-European youth organisation seeking to promote liberal values throughout the EU and particularly through and as the youth organisation of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) and its parliamentary group in the European Parliament (ALDE).

LYMEC - European Liberal Youth

Rue Montoyer 31/7
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium (EU)

Tel: +32 2 237 0146
Fax: +32 2 231 1907

Email: office@lymec.eu
Website: www.lymec.eu

Press contact:

Jeroen Diepemaat, LYMEC Press Officer: jeroen@lymec.eu, +31 6 12 909 348 (NL/EN)