On 27 May, the Council adopted its conclusions on retention of data for the purposes of fighting crime. The conclusions reiterate the importance of data stemming from telecommunications operators or service providers in the activities of law enforcement, judicial authorities or any other competent authorities in investigating criminal activities. The Ministers agree that there is a need for a proportional, necessary and transparent framework for data retention obligations. At the same time, such frameworks must include sufficient safeguards to protect fundamental rights, in particular privacy, data protection and presumption of innocence.
The Ministers agreed to continue to work on the topic of data retention and asked the Commission to, among others, gather information about the member states’ and relevant competent authorities’ needs for data and to carry out consultations with relevant stakeholders to complement the work of the relevant working groups within the Council. The Commission is also asked to prepare a comprehensive study on the basis of these consultations whcih would outline the options for the future, including the legislative initiative on data retention.
