Twenty-one states signed today a Council of Europe treaty aimed at strengthening the principles and rules for the protection of personal data at international level.
The treaty, an Amending Protocol, updates the Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, also known as “Convention 108”, the only existing international treaty addressing the right of individuals to the protection of their personal data.
The protocol was signed during a ceremony in Strasbourg by 20 Council of Europe member states – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – and by Uruguay, one of the six non-European states that have so far joined “Convention 108”.
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said: “The modernised convention will allow states to share a robust set of principles and rules to protect personal data, and will provide a unique forum for co-operation in this field at global level. States parties to “Convention 108” should sign and ratify the protocol so it can enter into force as soon as possible.”
