TELECOM OPERATORS WELCOME the JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL AGREEMENT ON the GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION AND CALL FOR AN URGENT REPEAL OF the EPRIVACY DIRECTIVE

Brussels: The GSMA and ETNO welcome the general approach approved today by the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council with a view to adopt the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the end of the year. Data Protection and privacy are fundamental to building trust and confidence and to driving the uptake of new digital services by Europe's citizens.

The GSMA and ETNO strongly support the horizontal approach taken by the GDPR, which will help create a level playing field between all players irrespective of their sector or geographic location. It is important that consumers are able to enjoy consistent privacy standards and experiences regardless of the technologies, infrastructure, business models and data flows involved.

A level playing field will be crucial to achieving a digital single market. The GSMA and ETNO call for the Institutions to urgently address the inconsistency between the proposed GDPR and the existing ePrivacy Directive in the context of the ongoing negotiations. Legislators currently have a unique opportunity to repeal the ePrivacy Directive 2002/58EC through targeted amendments to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rather than embarking on a lengthy review process at a later stage.

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences. For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

About ETNO

ETNO has been the voice of Europe's telecommunications network operators since 1992 and has become the principal policy group for European electronic communications network operators. Its 50 members and observers in 35 countries collectively account for a turnover of more than 600 billion and employ over 1.6 million people. ETNO companies are the main drivers of broadband and are committed to its continual growth in Europe.

Media Contacts

For the GSMA,

Jeroen Rigole (Brussels),

+32 (0) 471 824262,

pressoffice@gsma.com

For ETNO,

Alessandro Gropelli (Brussels),

+32 (0) 476 941839,

gropelli@etno.eu

LINK:	http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/telecom-operators-welcome-t...
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