Eight EU Member States Ordered To Enact Spam Law

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

05 April 2004

The European Commission announced last week that it has taken the second step in infringement proceedings against eight EU member states over their failure to enact the e-Privacy Directive adopted by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers in July 2002.

The original proceedings were launched against Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and Sweden in November 2003, but the latter has since implemented the legislation into national law.

Speaking last week, Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen explained that: "We are determined to keep up the pressure on those Member States that have yet to implement the legislation they signed up (to) in 2002."

"This Directive is vital to ensure that privacy and data protection are assured in an on-line world. It shows effective action can be taken and enforced at a national level in the fight against spam. These rules set common conditions across the Union, so users know what to expect and industry and Member States know what they must do."

The eight countries in question have two months in which to respond to the EC's demands, after which they face the possibility of legal action before the European Court of Justice.

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