Press Release: Data protection at work: European Commission proposes new EU framework to European social partners

The European Commission launched a second formal consultation of social partners on 31 October 2002 on an initiative to improve protection of workers' personal data throughout the EU. The Commission proposes to the European-level social partner organisations (including UNICE, ETUC, UEAPME, CEC and Eurocadres) a set of principles and rules governing treatment of personal data at work in order to provide clear and comprehensive guidance to employers and workers about their rights and obligations in this field. The Commission decision covers a range of specific questions related to data protection at the workplace which were originally identified in the Commission's first consultation of social partners on this subject in August 2001, including treatment of sensitive information, such as health data, drug testing and genetic testing data, monitoring of workers' e-mails and internet use.