On December 15, 2015, the European Commission announced that an agreement has been reached with the European Parliament and the Council (the “trilogue” meetings) regarding the Commission’s sweeping 2012 EU Data Protection Reform proposal. The reform package, which consists of a General Data Protection Regulation and a Data Protection Directive for Police and Criminal Justice Authorities, updates and replaces Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC) and 2008 Framework Decision, and provides a comprehensive data protection regime for the entire EU. The reforms will give European consumers new rights and control over their personal information, and impose new obligations on businesses. While some of the new measures will serve to make the system less cumbersome, the broad reach, new restrictions, expanded obligations and enhanced penalties imposes on businesses could more than offset these reductions. For a more detailed summary, click here.