Processing of personnal data and protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector, ISDN

The rapporteur underlined that the agreement reached between Parliament and the Council had resulted in a text which covered phone-tapping and laid down provisions to guarantee the confidentiality of communications, while ensuring that public order and national security were not compromised. Commissioner Monti considered that protecting private life in a rapidly evolving telecommunications sector could not be left to subsidiarity and that Community legislation was therefore essential.