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After previously reporting the sad demise of Safe Harbor, Fieldfisher is delighted to have some good news to report: the arrival of the European Union’s legislative child, the GDPR, born on the 25th of May 2018.
Keen observers of the child’s development will know that it had a particularly long and complicated pregnancy, taking some six years from conception. Reports that the EU was trying for a child began to emerge in 2011, with excitement mounting over the possible gender of the child - would it be a Directive or would it be a Regulation?
That speculation was finally put to rest when the first scan of the child was released in 2012: it was a Regulation. The scan seemed to indicate that the GDPR would be an only child but, as the pregnancy progressed, there have been rumours that the GDPR will in fact have a very large number of siblings. These siblings are apparently also being born all over the EU right now (e.g. see here), to much excitement and confusion.
Like any parent-to-be, the European Union found itself beset by parenting advice from all quarters. In fact, it was said that the European Union found the volume of advice it received during this time to be overwhelming, with many well-wishers making contradictory suggestions: some told the Union not to be too strict with the child, while others told it not to be too lax. In response, the Union said simply that it intends to raise the child to be principled.
Once legislative contractions finally began in 2016, the European Union found itself to be in labour for a further two years. A great deal of pain was reported throughout that process! When the child arrived, weighing a healthy 7lbs of statutory drafting, it had a hearty pair of lungs: its early cries could reportedly be heard around the world!
Thankfully though, the lengthy labour process at least gave relatives plenty of time to plan, buy presents, and get ready for the child’s arrival. Nevertheless, rumours abound that many are only now hearing of the child for the first time.
Commenting on the birth, the godparents, the Data Protection Authorities, said the European Union has high expectations of the child’s relatives. However, some relatives are grumbling that, to help build a trust fund for the child, they may have to cough up 4% of their annual earnings - though that couldn’t possibly be right, could it…?
Happy GDPR Day, everyone!