EDPS supports the once-only principle
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has published an opinion paper on the proposal of the Single Digital Gateway and the once-only principle by the EU Commission. In this paper the EDPS provides specific recommendations to improve the quality of legislation concerning the Single Digital Gateway as well as give an introductory overview of key issues relating to the once-only principle in general.
The EDPS supports in general the idea of the once-only principle, but it must be implemented in line with relevant data protection principles in order to ensure successful implementation and to enable lawful cross-border exchange of data. In its press release the organisation states that the proposal is a "necessary development in the modernisation of administrative services throughout the EU".
As Giovanni Buttarelli, EDPS, said:
“This proposal is one of the first EU instruments that explicitly refers to the once-only principle, which aims to ensure that citizens and businesses do not need to submit the same information to a public administration more than once. I welcome this initiative, but also recommend that the Commission take into account some key issues related to data protection in their continued development of the once-only principle. Additional clarity on important data protection principles, such as the legal basis of the processing, purpose limitation and data minimisation will reinforce the protection of the rights of individuals.”
The EDPS is an independent institution of the European Union responsible for ensuring that the fundamental rights to privacy of natural persons are respected by the Community institutions and bodies. The opinion paper was issued upon the request of the EU Commission and Parliament. It was also inspired by the priorities of the Estonian Council Presidency which highlights a “digital Europe and the free movement of data”.
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