Following the invalidation of the Data Retention Directive by the Court of Justice of the EU in April 2014, the e-Privacy Directive constitutes the EU legal basis for member states to oblige electronic service providers (ECS) to retain metadata (e.g. traffic and location data).
Our latest benchmark shows that of the 18 surveyed European countries, only Germany, the Netherlands and Romania do not have any data retention rules in force.
Nearly all the surveyed countries impose on providers of electronic communications services general and indiscriminate data retention obligations. Only Belgium, Denmark and the UK foresee targeted retention of metadata.
The European Commission is consulting on the possible reintroduction of an EU-wide framework for metadata retention obligations.
For more information and access to the full benchmark, please click on “Access the full content” - or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to our European Digital Economy service.
more news
22 July 25
EU Accessibility Act: overview of enforcement authorities for electronic communications
Our new benchmark looks at the authorities designated at national level to enforce the provisions of the European Accessibility Act, and the level of potential fines, for products and services related to electronic communications.
18 July 25
Spectrum and satellite policy changes among the main regulatory developments in the LATAM telecoms market
Significant regulatory developments have taken place in Latin America (LATAM) in the past three months, affecting in particular spectrum and satellite policies, regulation on wholesale and community networks, and data traffic measures.
18 July 25
10 latest national developments in European telecoms regulation
Cullen International’s latest European Telecoms Updates highlight recent policy developments affecting the regulation of radio spectrum, wholesale networks and consumer protection in certain markets in the region.