About: Sophie in 't Veld
Commission seeks to calm fears over Europol’s decryption platform
The European Commission has issued assurances to MEPs that Europol's new decryption platform will not be used to abuse data protection standards and will maintain closely guarded access rights over the data retrieved.
Trouble brews in Macron’s Renew as EU Parliament power shift looms
Trouble is brewing in Renew Europe, the third-largest group in the European Parliament, pitting the old 'liberals and democrats' of ALDE against the group leadership and the French delegation of Emmanuel Macron's party, according to an insider source in the centrist group.
EXCLUSIVE: Parliament documents reveal new biometric attendance system
The European Parliament is to test a biometric attendance register for MEPs taking part in meetings at its Brussels premises, internal documents seen by EURACTIV reveal learned. The move has provoked worry among privacy-conscious members of Parliament, who oppose the move to capture MEP fingerprint data.
Commission fears UK data protection regime ‘may change in the future’
The European Commission has concerns that certain aspects of the UK's data protection regime may change in the future and negatively impact the safety of EU personal data when transferred to the country, Commission sources have informed EURACTIV.
European Parliament committee raps Bulgarian authorities over corruption
A secretive European Parliament sub-committee discussed corruption in Bulgaria on Friday (28 August) in the presence of top Bulgarian officials, after more than 50 days of protests in the EU's poorest country. A journalist who took part in the session as a speaker provided insight to EURACTIV into what appears to have been a heated discussion.
EU Commission pressed on controversial links to Palantir
MEPs have urged the European Commission to provide more details on the EU's relationship with controversial US big data analytics firm Palantir, following a series of revelations detailing the involvement of the company in Europe.
LEAK: EU in push for digital transformation after COVID-19 crisis
EU Member States and the European Commission should "thoroughly analyse the experiences gained from the COVID-19 pandemic" in order to inform future policies across the entire spectrum of the digital domain, leaked Council documents seen by EURACTIV reveal.
Middleman tells Malta court of plot to kill Daphne Caruana
The self-confessed middleman in the murder of a journalist told a court on Wednesday (4 December) a wealthy Maltese businessman was the brains behind the killing but also implicated people tied to government in the growing scandal.
Caruana Galizia’s family wants Malta police to probe PM
The family of murdered investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia called Monday (2 December) for police to investigate Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, as a European Parliament delegation was set to arrive in Malta on a fact-finding mission.
Civil Liberties MEPs want EU-US Privacy Shield suspended by September
MEPs in the European Parliament’s powerful Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) want the European Commission to suspend its Privacy Shield agreement with the United States unless the Trump administration introduces data protection safeguards by 1 September, in a move that comes amid mounting transatlantic political tensions.
After Facebook scandal, MEPs argue the GDPR isn’t enough
The EU needs more legal safeguards to prevent massive privacy breaches like the current scandal over Facebook and British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, MEPs from different political parties argued on Wednesday (18 April).
Commission defends controversial Selmayr promotion
The European Commission on Sunday (25 March) insisted the controversial promotion of President Jean-Claude Juncker's top aide was "in full compliance" with rules, and not even a promotion, despite a growing cronyism row.
EU court’s blow to Canada deal marks new hurdle for data laws
An EU data sharing agreement with Canada is illegal because it violates privacy rights, the European Court of Justice said Wednesday (26 July), marking a new legal blow to the bloc's data deals.
Europol in ‘shocking’ data leak
The EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, has had a mixed bag of results recently, ranging from a sensitive data leak scandal and unprecedented success in fighting cybercrime, to an odd festive social media campaign. EURACTIV Germany reports.
MEPs call on Tusk to end EU summits ‘paralysis’
During a debate held today (26 October) in the European Parliament, MEPs criticised the European Council for its inability to decide on issues such as CETA and EU-Russia relations, with calls for Council President Donald Tusk to “end paralysis in the Council”.
MEPs battle to get their vote on Privacy Shield
Liberal and socialist groups in the European Parliament have tried since March to set up a plenary vote on the controversial Privacy Shield data transfer agreement to the United States. With member states' final verdict slated for next month, MEPs are running out of time to vote before the deal is finalised.
Commission’s ‘Umbrella Agreement’ with US under fire from MEPs
The US-EU Safe Harbour agreement allowed over 4,000 companies to transfer data from the EU to the US - provided the companies guaranteed the data's security abroad.
Jourova defends unfinished Safe Harbour deal
Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told MEPs yesterday (1 February) that one day past the deadline given by EU privacy watchdogs, the European Commission still hasn't struck a new Safe Harbour data sharing agreement with the US.
Council pushes for broad collection of flight passenger data after Paris attacks
Justice and Home Affairs ministers from EU member states are meeting today (20 November) in Brussels to discuss new security measures following the terrorist attacks in Paris last weekend that left 129 people dead.
MEPs fire back at Commission for ‘bad lawmaking’ on Safe Harbour
MEPs in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee lashed out on Monday (12 October) against the European Commission for agreeing to the now-invalid Safe Harbour data sharing deal between the EU and the US.
ALDE requests nuclear option over Hungary
The liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament called on Monday (21 September) for the activation of article 7 of the EU Treaty against Hungary over its handling of refugees.
Passenger name record law passes first hurdle in Parliament
The European Parliament's Civil Liberties and Justice Committee approved the first EU passenger name record (PNR) bill today (15 July), two years after that same committee rejected an earlier draft of the data sharing law for flight passenger information.
The EU can help protect women’s rights
The world still has such a long way to go to meet women’s needs, MEPs Linda Mc Avan, Heidi Hautala and Sophie in 't Veld write, as this year’s World Population Day focuses on vulnerable communities.