EPP/GERB MEP Eva Paunova co-hosted a breakfast debate on Privacy in the Digital Age, which took place on January 21 at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event was organised in cooperation with Microsoft, world leader in the field of computer technology and software and the organisation of young MEPs EU40.
The keynote speaker of the debate was Brad Smith, General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft. In his statement, Brad advocated the right to privacy and data protection, which has to be ensured for all users in the cyberspace. ´The fact that governments and the business have access to any kind of information regarding citizens does not mean that they have to abuse it. We urgenty need clear and applicable rules guaranteeing better security and data protection´,underlined Mr. Smith. Eva Paunova highlighted the importance of adapting legal framewors to the dynamically evolving technological world, which is currently outperforming governemnts. ´I completely agree with the business that it is not enough to reform data protection and digitalisation legislation once in a decade. It is crucial that the public and the private sector follow the same pace´, said the Bulgarian MEP.
In her statement, Eva Paunova gave the numerous recent cyber attacks and online security threats an illustration of why legislators need to act immediately. ´The cases of stolen data, revealed by Edward Snowden, and the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in France, show that our online identity needs stronger protection.´ Both the Vice-President of Microsoft and the Bulgarian MEP stressed on the fact that digitalisation brings huge benefits for the business and the users, yet it has to be accompanied by working rules for the protection of privacy. ´We in the European Parliament, are determined to reach progress in this field. With our genuine passion and determination I am confident that we will achieve more in the next five years than the European institutions have accomplished in the past few decades”, concluded Paunova.
Digitalisation and the completion of the European Single Digital Market are some of Eva Paunova´s main priorities as a member of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee. One of the first events organised by her as a Member of the European Parliament was dedicated to the topic ´Digital Single Market – Successes and Challenges´.