Viviane Reding's speech on ubicomp during the first day of CeBIT 2007

At the opening of CeBIT 2007 commissioner Reding (IT): EU Makes Move on RFID

European Commission busy bee, Viviane Reding, announced a major new EU policy initiative on RFID, at a CeBIT press conference.

The Information Commissioner said "When I come to CeBIT people ask 'what regulation are you proposing today?'". She continued "I have no regulation, we must not over-regulate RFID. But we must provide industry with legal certainty." She stressed that the public also needed to be reassured and protected versus these powerful technologies.

Ms Reding went on to outline the RFID strategy paper that was being published in Brussels as she spoke.

An RFID stakeholder group will be created this year to provide advice to the Commission on developing policies for RFID applications. This will carry forward the wide-ranging consultation Redding's Directorate carried out for her strategy paper.

By middle of this year changes will be proposed for the e-Privacy Directive to take account of RFID applications.

By end of 2007 a Recommendation on data security and privacy for RFID tags will be published.

By end of 2008 issue an assessment of the policy options and future legislative steps needed for these technologies. This will focus particularly on privacy trust and governance.

Commissioner Reding said it is essential that the regulatory moves by different regions for these technologies are co-ordinated. She is already in discusssions with the Americans (US Trade Under Secretary Robert Cresanti was in her audience) and is about to visit China, Japan and Korea for parallel negotiations.