THE RIGHT OF U.S. COMPANIES TO LOBBY BRUSSELS

The proposed EU data protection regulation is currently being looked at by the European Parliament, and it is there that lobbying is taking place, by U.S. multinationals like eBay and Amazon, Facebook and Google, as well as digital technology lobby platform Digital Europe whose members include all the big IT names like Apple, Blackberry and Microsoft and Amcham EU, the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union.

What's wrong with this??? U.S. companies have a legitimate business concern and should be welcome to present it. Lobbying and interest representation are an inevitable part of the legislative process.

Top U.S. tech companies want standardized privacy laws across borders to make their business operations flow more easily. The U.S. government position is that differences of views about issues like consent from internet users and notification timelines companies must adhere to if they experience a data breach should not impede transatlantic commerce. Interoperability of the EU and U.S. privacy regimes is critical to maintain the transatlantic economic relationship, fostering trade and preventing non-tariff barriers, and unlocking the full potential for economic innovation and growth.

A flexible approach is what is called for.