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March 11, 2004

Cappato report about privacy adopted

On 9 March the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the implementation of the Data Protection Directive of 1995 (95/46/EC), based on an own-initiative report by the Italian radical Marco Cappato. The report is very critical about the lack of adequate privacy protection in Europe. The report centres on data protection within the third pillar […]

March 11, 2004

New EU-plans to promote broadband access

The European Telecom ministers have welcomed new action plans from the Commission to promote broadband access in Europe. The Commission calls on Member States who have not yet put in place a national broadband strategy to do so without delay, with a focus on delivering broadband in under-served areas via a variety of platforms. This […]

March 11, 2004

Recommended reading: Access to EU documents

On 30 January 2004, the European Commission published a report about the effectiveness of EU legislation on freedom of information. Article 255 of the treaty establishing the European Community, implemented through Regulation 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001, grants a right of access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents to any Union citizen and to […]

February 27, 2004 · Blogs

EDRI-gram – Number 2.4, 27 February 2004

February 27, 2004

Fast track procedure for IPR Enforcement

The European Union’s disputed Directive on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights is scheduled for a fast-track procedure that may lead to it being adopted by the European Council in little more than two weeks. At present, it is still under discussion in the Brussels Parliament. The Rapporteur, French Conservative Janelly Fourtou, and the Council […]

February 27, 2004

EU Commission proposal for biometrics in passports

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Council Regulation that will set legally binding minimum standards for harmonised security features, including biometric identifiers, in all EU passports. The Commission chooses facial images as a mandatory biometric identifier for passports. Fingerprints can be added as an option at the discretion of Member States. The […]

February 27, 2004

UK government welcomes report about data retention

The UK Government has given a guarded welcome to a review of its data retention powers. The review came from the Newton Committee, which was set up by the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 that created these powers. The Committee, even though empowered to revoke some powers, supports the principle of data retention for […]

February 27, 2004

EU ruling on Microsoft by the end of March

Antitrust regulators from the all EU member States will discuss a draft European Commission antitrust ruling against Microsoft in Brussels on 15 March. In a second meeting on 22 March the regulators will discuss the measures, including fines, that will be taken against Microsoft. It is expected that the final ruling will become public in […]

February 27, 2004

Major European companies into RFID-development

The European commercial interest in the development of spy-chips (RFIDs) is growing rapidly. Radio Frequency Identifiers are very small wireless chips that can be read without touching them. Intel and Siemens have just announced they will open an ‘RFID Technology Centre’ in Germany in March, near Munich. The companies wish to present ‘experience-able RFID-technology’, to […]

February 27, 2004

EU to promote research track & trace technology

According to a new Communication on the research into security, the European Commission plans to fund research on “tagging, tracking and tracing devices … that improve the capability to locate, identify and follow the movement of mobile assets, goods and persons”. The Commission announces the launch of a new funding program entitled ‘Enhancement of the […]

February 27, 2004

Dutch government: Cryptophone protects privacy

The Dutch minister of Justice Donner has answered parliamentary questions about the introduction of a commercially available crypto-GSM. The Cryptophone was developed in the Netherlands and is sold through a German company. The device is a combined GSM and organiser running Windows Pocket PC. The Cryptophone uses open-source software that encrypts the call when connecting […]

February 11, 2004

More delay for IPR Enforcement and SoftPat Directives

The final vote on two of the most controversial information society Directives, the Directive on Software Patents and the Directive on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights has been delayed once more. The IPRE directive was withdrawn last minute from the 9 February plenary agenda of the European Parliament. On 6 February the Council presented […]