ABSTRACT
Data protection is a EU law field that has undergone substantial if not groundbreaking change over the past few years. In April 2016, a five-year law-making process finally came to an end with the formal adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation 679/2016/EU) and the Police and Criminal Justice Data Protection Directive (Directive 680/2016/EU). Each one is aimed at replacing the legal instruments already in effect in their respective fields. In particular, the General Data Protection Regulation (the ‘GDPR’) is intended to replace Directive 95/46/EC; it will find immediate application across the EU on May 25, 2018. On the other hand, the Police and Criminal Justice Data Protection Directive (the ‘Directive’) is intended to replace Framework Decision 977/2008/JHA; it was also released on the same day as the GDPR, on April 27, 2016, but, being a Directive, it gives member states unti May 6, 2018 to harmonize their national laws with its provisions.
