Council of the European Union

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA AT THE COUNCIL

The Community legal framework concerning the protection of personal data also applies to Community institutions. It is Regulation (EC) n° 45/2001 which determines the principles and the obligations to be respected by the European institutions when they are processing personal data.

These provisions concern all departments within the Council which use information identifying individuals. Nevertheless, it has to be noted that the Regulation only covers activities which wholly or partly fall under the scope of Community law. More specific rules may apply to the activities of the Council in the area of European foreign and defence policy or police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

In practice, most of the personal data processed by the Council concern its staff, while a minority of processing operations are related to the missions of the institution. Thus, only a small amount of personal data is collected from Member State or third country delegates, and from journalists in particular. The Council also handles the data of European citizens if they address a specific request to the institution.

Under the terms of the Regulation, each institution appoints a Data Protection Officer (DPO). The role of the DPO is to ensure the correct application of the Regulation within his institution. He is also responsible for keeping a Register of the processing operations carried out by his institution.

This website is maintained by the Data Protection Officer of the Council. It makes the Register available to the public and provides information on data protection. It also allows data subjects to exercise their rights.