”Lobbying is fierce” against a European Commission proposal for new privacy...

EU, would help boost the confidence of users who want to shop online and use new technologies, she said. The measure would stimulate Europe’s digital economy to the tune of a 4 percent rise in the EU gross domestic product by 2020, she said. The plan also calls for a digital “right to be forgotten.” One reason the EC wants one rule for one continent is the discrimination that European companies, mainly German, feel on the European digital market, she said. Such companies consider it unfair when other big Internet players don’t have to abide by the same rules, she said. The basis of the proposed data protection regulation is to put European companies on the same footing as those elsewhere and to increase user protection, she said. But while European companies generally accept the proposal, acceptance by non-European organizations is “limited,” and opponents are lobbying wildly, she said. European Parliament members writing reports that respond to the proposal are suffering, because instead of being able to focus on drafting text, they have to respond to lobbyists, she said. Reding said she doesn’t oppose lobbying but it “can be overdone.” She suggested opponents would be better off investing in new business models to give consumers more confidence online than in spending money on lobbying. Reding was asked whether European’s stricter approach to data privacy might conflict with the U.S.’s more industry-led stance. Europe is the world’s largest economy, a continent of 500 million people, she said. It abides by the rules of treaties and the charter of fundamental human rights, she said. Anyone who wants to take advantage of the EU’s huge internal market “has to abide by our laws.” Europe already has data protection laws, and is just adapting them to the modern world, she said. That will set a gold standard for others to follow, she said. Asked if the proposal is in the right hands given that Ireland, which takes over the EU Presidency in January, may have a more relaxed approach to privacy, Reding said she has experienced several Irish Presidencies. The country’s prime minister says data protection will be a priority during this term, and “I take it seriously,” she said. The EC meets next week with the Council of Ministers, and Ireland hopes to finalize the process before next summer, she said.