European Union

In October 1995, the European Union (EU) issued the EU Privacy Directive, and it went into effect on October 25, 1998. The Safe Harbor Provisions between the United States and the EU were issued on July 21, 2000.

The EU is the result of a process of cooperation and integration that began in 1951 between six countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). After nearly 50 years, with four waves of accessions (1973: Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom; 1981: Greece; 1986: Spain and Portugal; 1995: Austria, Finland, and Sweden), the EU today has 15 member states and is preparing for its fifth enlargement, this time towards Eastern and Southern Europe. 

View more information on Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 24, 1995, on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.