European Union (EU) ministers have been asked to agree the final
details of the powers and responsibilities of a European data
protection supervisor, who will control the release of personal
data held by EU institutions.
The European Commission wants swift approval of its proposals so
that it can advertise the job by November.
The supervisor, who will be based in Brussels, will be charged with
ensuring that EU institutions follow European data protection
directives when handling personal information, especially that
associated with agriculture, customs, education, training, culture
and research.
In particular, the supervisor will be authorised to sanction the
release of data to other countries or international organisations
where data protection rules are not as stringent as those in the
EU. The supervisor can also authorise the processing of data on
telecommunications traffic and charges above those permitted by EU
law.