Privacy in the EU Institutions

Opinion of 7 September 2007 on a notification for prior checking related to the application of the security clearance rules (Case 2007-371)

• Redefines the nomenclature (mainly with respect to the "certificate of good conduct"), and its definition in order to prevent the collection of information that goes beyond the recollection of criminal convictions.
• Includes a limit in the first question of the self-declaration form so that individuals are not required to provide information on crimes that would not be included in a criminal record. Also, in this question, delete the reference to imprisonments and consider rephrasing the question as suggested in this Opinion.
• Amends the self-declaration form so that traffic offences are excluded from the scope of the question (which asks whether there are criminal cases pending against the individualSets up a system to ensure the effective application of the rectification right and data quality and conservation principles as far as the certificates of good conduct are concerned.
• Amends the privacy statement as recommended in the Opinion.

Opinion of 5 September 2007 on the notification for prior checking on "Actions taken in the context of redeployment exercises" (Case 2007-278)

Opinion of 4 September 2007 on the notification for prior checking on the "Assessment of the ability to work in a third language (application of Article 45(2) of the Staff Regulations" (Case 2007-88)

Article 45(2) of the Staff Regulations, which entered into force on 1 May 2004, provided for a process of assessment of staff's ability to work in a third language before the first promotion after recruitment. "Officials shall be required to demonstrate before their first promotion the ability to work in a third language among those referred to in Article 314 of the EC Treaty. The institutions shall adopt common rules by agreement between them for implementing this paragraph (…)."  The common rules laying down the procedure for implementing Article 45(2) of the Staff Regulations were adopted by all institutions at the end of December 2006. The assessment, based on tests or on certificates/diplomas, is carried out by EPSO in conjunction with assessment committees or by processors.

The EDPS made a number of recommendations in his opinion on EPSO's assessment of the ability to work in a third language; these chiefly concern the transfer -of data, the wording of contracts between EPSO and processors, and reviewing automated individual decisions.

Réponse à une notification de controle préalable concernant la délivrance de la carte d'identité émise par le Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (Dossier 2007-499)

Answer to a notification for prior checking on the diplomatic registration document (Case 2007-497)