European Parliament votes in favour of EU-wide data protection reform

The first major overhaul of the EU's data protection legislation has been given the go ahead, after the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour for reform.

In a statement, the European Commission said the changes will ensure people have more control over what happens to their personal data, and make it easier for businesses to operate within the EU.

Viviane Reding, the EU's justice secretary, said the outcome of the vote means there is no going back when it comes to overhauling Europe's stance on data protection.

"This reform is a necessity, and now it is irreversible. Europe's directly elected parliamentarians have listened to European citizens and European businesses and, with this vote, have made clear that we need a uniform and strong European data protection law," said Reding.

The reforms were first put forward in early 2012, and are being embarked upon to ensure the EU's stance on data protection is in keeping with the digital age.

The current data protection directive was issued in 1995, before internet use was widespread across continent, and European lawmakers are keen to see it updated for this reason.

The proposals include the right for internet users to be forgotten and control the movement of their data between service providers.

Businesses will also need to request explicit consent from citizens before processing their data, and will need to alert customers with no undue delay when data breaches have taken place that could affect them.

Companies that breach the new rules could be fined up to five per cent of their global turnover.

The European Commission had originally proposed fines of up to 1 million or two per cent of company's worldwide annual turnover.

Introducing tougher data protection sanctions like this could give Europe a competitive edge, Reding continued.

"Data protection is made in Europe. Strong data protection rules must be Europe's trademark. Following the US data spying scandals, data protection is more than ever a competitive advantage," she added.

Now the outcome of the plenary vote is known, negotiations with the EU 28 member states about how to complete the law are expected to take place in June.