The right to be forgotten and the EU data protection reform: Why we must see through a distorted debate and adopt strong new rules soon

Martine Reicherts delivered a speech at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Lyon (France) on the right to be forgotten and the EU data protection reform.

Commissioner Reicherts said:"Just as work on the data protection reform has picked up speed and urgency, detractors are attempting to throw a new spanner in the works. They are trying to use the recent ruling by the European Court of Justice on the right to be forgotten to undermine our reform. They have got it wrong. And I will not let them abuse this crucial ruling to stop us from opening the digital single market for our companies and putting in place stronger protection for our citizens.

This ruling does not give the all-clear for people or organisations to have content removed from the web simply because they find it inconvenient. Far from it. It calls for a balance between the legitimate interests of internet users and citizens' fundamental rights. A balance that will have to be found in each case.

Search engines such as Google and other affected companies complain loudly. But they should remember this: handling citizens' personal data brings huge economic benefits to them. It also brings responsibility. These are two sides of the same coin, you cannot have one without the other.

Like the Court's ruling, the reform seeks a fair balance of rights: it empowers citizens to manage their personal data while explicitly protecting the freedom of expression and of the media. Those who try to use distorted notions of the right to be forgotten to discredit the reform proposals are playing false. We must not fall for this. Indeed, we must keep working hard to ensure the new rules are adopted as soon as possible. Europe needs them urgently to revive economic growth and job creation. And it needs them to make sure that the rights of its citizens are upheld and protected.

Negotiations on the data protection reform have been ongoing for more than two and a half years. They have made good progress. But there is more work to be done. Heads of State and Government have committed themselves to a swift conclusion of negotiations several times. At the European Council at the end of June, they affirmed the importance of adopting "a strong EU General Data Protection framework by 2015".

I urge Member States: stick to this goal. Be ambitious and help to give Europe the data protection rules it needs. The world will not wait for us."

Read the full speech here.