The European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers approved, on December 17, the text of the new European Data Protection Regulation, which will replace, by 2018, the national legislation on data protection.
The new regulation, which at an early stage of drafting had raised several concerns and criticisms from European researchers, seems to represent a good compromise between the protection of personal data and the possibility of their use for research purposes.
Formal approval of the document is expected during 2016.
Consult the text of the new European Data Protection Regulation.