Access Now Brussels Office

Through a Freedom of Information Request, Access has acquired an important document that sheds light on the Home Affairs department of the European Commission’s relationship with the U.S. administration on the EU Data Protection Reform effort.

Access received a response from the European Commission acknowledging a notification of infringement sent two weeks ago in a letter to Michel Barnier, Commissioner in charge for Enterprise and Industry. The complaint addresses the United Kingdom’s breach of E.U. law through its adoption of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (DRIP) on 18 July 2014.

On July 14th, the European Union and the United States kicked off the sixth round of negotiations of what could be the world’s largest trade pact — the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The negotiations, which have been taking place for more than a year, are about opening markets on both sides of the Atlantic for exchange in goods, services, investment, and public procurement.

Earlier this week, European Digital Rights (EDRi), with the help of Access, Bits of Freedom, and Vrijschrift, published a citizens answering guide to the public consultation on the Investor-State Dispute Settlement launched by the European Commission in March and open for comment until July 6.