Data Protection Directive

Directive 95/46/EC

European Union directive
Title	Directive on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data
Made by	European Parliament and Council
Journal reference	L281, 23 November 1995, p. 31–50
History
Date made	24 October 1995
Entry into force	13 December 1995
Implementation date	24 October 1998
Replaced	25 May 2018
Preparative texts
Commission proposal	C311, 27 November 1992, p. 30–61
Other legislation
Amended by	Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003
Repealed

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Laws
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Related topics
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v t e

The Data Protection Directive, officially Directive 95/46/EC, enacted in October 1995, was a European Union directive which regulated the processing of personal data within the European Union (EU) and the free movement of such data. The Data Protection Directive was an important component of EU privacy and human rights law.

The principles set out in the Data Protection Directive were aimed at the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the processing of personal data.^[1] The General Data Protection Regulation, adopted in April 2016, superseded the Data Protection Directive and became enforceable on 25 May 2018.^[2]