Germany moves closer towards bill on data retention

Following a shift in the position of German centre-left party SPD on the creation of a new national data retention law, centre-right CDU considered an agreement to be possible on a government level.

This issue had been a controversial topic within SPD. On 15 March 2015, its leader Sigmar Gabriel spoke in favour of data retention.

In recent years, both a German law on data retention and an EU Directive were overruled in the German Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) respectively. The European Commission later indicated that it was not planning a legislative proposal regarding data retention and left it to the member states to decide on the creation of a national law on the issue.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Germany discusses new law to crack down on foreign fighters http://www.europeansources.info/record/germany-discusses-new-law-to-crack-down-on-foreign-fighters/

ESO: Background information: EU court scraps data surveillance law http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-court-scraps-data-surveillance-law/

EurActiv, 16.04.15: German government repackages data retention regulations http://www.euractiv.com/sections/infosociety/german-government-repackages-data-retention-regulations-313821

EurActiv, 19.05.15: Germany toughens up on data retention http://www.euractiv.com/sections/infosociety/germany-toughens-data-retention-314657

EurActiv, 11.06.15: German watchdog doubts constitutionality of data retention plans http://www.euractiv.com/sections/infosociety/german-watchdog-doubts-constitutionality-data-retention-plans-315291

---