A press release has been issued by Marc Cappato MEP calling for
the support of the European Parliament when voting upon proposed
amendments to the draft EU directive on privacy in electronic
communications. Cappato was appointed as the rapporteur of the
Committee on Citizen’s Freedoms and Rights, which is responsible
for a series of amendments which will be voted on next
Wednesday.
The amendments attempt to restrict the scope of surveillance
powers over individuals within EU Member States. The Commission
initially submitted the proposal for the directive last August.
However, the Committee considers that at present the draft
directive does not provide adequate protection for the privacy
rights of individual citizens.
The first amendment proposed by the Committee is intended to
reflect the importance of protecting against the potential for
Member States to abuse monitoring powers. It includes provisions
requiring specific legislation or judicial authorisation of any
interception or storage of data relating to electronic
communications. It also stipulates that surveillance must be of
limited duration, and be proportionate and necessary within a
democratic society.
If accepted by the European Parliament, this provision would
bring the draft directive into line with requirements in the
European Convention of Human Rights, which prohibit any wide-scale
general or exploratory electronic surveillance.
