SESSIONS
A proposal for a Directive on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare is under discussion in the European Parliament and the Council. The EDPS has recently issued an opinion in support, but also highlighting need for improvement of the data protection dimension of cross-border healthcare:
- a definition of health data covering any personal data that has a clear and close link with the health status, such as administrative and financial data relating to health;
- specification of responsibilities for Member States of affiliation and treatment, identifying the main areas for further development, such as security harmonisation and privacy integration, especially in e-health applications;
- definition of commonly acceptable security level of health care data, taking into account existing technical standards;
- incorporation of 'privacy by design', i.e. compliance with privacy requirements should be largely embedded in the development of information systems.
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Biography
Peter J. Hustinx has been European Data Protection Supervisor since January 2004 and was recently appointed by the European Parliament and the Council for a second term of five years.
He has been closely involved in the development of data protection legislation from the start, both at the national and at the international level.
As European Data Protection Supervisor he is responsible for advising EU institutions on proposals for legislation and other new developments that have an impact on the protection of personal data.
Before entering his office, Mr. Hustinx was President of the Dutch Data Protection Authority since 1991. From 1996 until 2000 he was Chairman of the Article 29 Working Party.
He received law degrees in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and in Ann Arbor, USA. Since 1986 he has been deputy judge in the Court of Appeal in Amsterdam.
