(1) Il-protezzjoni tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar ta' data personali hija dritt fundamentali. L-Artikolu 8(1) tal-Karta tad-Drittijiet Fundamentali tal-Unjoni Ewropea (il-“Karta”) u l-Artikolu 16(1) tat-Trattat dwar il-Funzjonament tal-Unjoni Ewropea (TFUE) jipprevedu li kull persuna għandha dritt għall-protezzjoni tad-data personali li tirrigwardaha.
(1) The protection of natural persons in relation to the processing of personal data is a fundamental right. Article 8(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’) and Article 16(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provide that everyone has the right to the protection of personal data concerning him or her.
(2) Il-prinċipji ta', u r-regoli dwar il-protezzjoni tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar tad-data personali tagħhom, irrispettivament min-nazzjonalità jew ir-residenza tagħhom, għandhom jirrispettaw id-drittijiet u l-libertajiet fundamentali tagħhom, b'mod partikolari d-dritt tagħhom għall-protezzjoni tad-data personali. Dan ir-Regolament huwa maħsub biex jikkontribwixxi għall-kisba ta' spazju ta' libertà, sigurtà u ġustizzja u ta' unjoni ekonomika, għall-progress ekonomiku u soċjali, it-tisħiħ u l-konverġenza tal-ekonomiji fis-suq intern, u għall-benesseri tal-persuni fiżiċi.
(2) The principles of, and rules on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of their personal data should, whatever their nationality or residence, respect their fundamental rights and freedoms, in particular their right to the protection of personal data. This Regulation is intended to contribute to the accomplishment of an area of freedom, security and justice and of an economic union, to economic and social progress, to the strengthening and the convergence of the economies within the internal market, and to the well-being of natural persons.
(3) Id-Direttiva 95/46/KE tal-Parlament Ewropew u tal-Kunsill (4) tfittex li tarmonizza l-protezzjoni tad-drittijiet u l-libertajiet fundamentali tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-attivitajiet ta' pproċessar u li tiżgura l-fluss liberu tad-data personali bejn l-Istati Membri.
(3) Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council [4] seeks to harmonise the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons in respect of processing activities and to ensure the free flow of personal data between Member States.
(4) Id-Direttiva 95/46/KE tal-Parlament Ewropew u tal-Kunsill tal-24 ta' Ottubru 1995 dwar il-protezzjoni ta' individwi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar ta' data personali u dwar il-moviment liberu ta' dik id-data (ĠU L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L:1995:281:TOC
[4] Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (OJ L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L:1995:281:TOC
(4) L-ipproċessar tad-data personali għandu jitfassal biex iservi lill-bniedem. Id-dritt għall-protezzjoni tad-data personali mhuwiex dritt assolut; huwa għandu jiġi kkunsidrat b'rabta mal-funzjoni tiegħu fis-soċjetà u jkun ibbilanċjat ma' drittijiet fundamentali oħrajn, f'konformità mal-prinċipju tal-proporzjonalità. Dan ir-Regolament jirrispetta d-drittijiet fundamentali kollha u josserva l-libertajiet u l-prinċipji rikonoxxuti fil-Karta kif integrata fit-Trattati, b'mod partikolari r-rispett għall-ħajja privata u tal-familja, id-dar u l-komunikazzjonijiet, il-protezzjoni tad-data personali, il-libertà tal-ħsieb, tal-kuxjenza u tar-reliġjon, il-libertà tal-espressjoni u tal-informazzjoni, il-libertà tal-intrapriża, id-dritt għal rimedju effettiv u għal proċess imparzjali u d-diversità kulturali, reliġjuża u lingwistika.
(4) The processing of personal data should be designed to serve mankind. The right to the protection of personal data is not an absolute right; it must be considered in relation to its function in society and be balanced against other fundamental rights, in accordance with the principle of proportionality. This Regulation respects all fundamental rights and observes the freedoms and principles recognised in the Charter as enshrined in the Treaties, in particular the respect for private and family life, home and communications, the protection of personal data, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and information, freedom to conduct a business, the right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial, and cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.
(5) L-integrazzjoni ekonomika u soċjali li rriżultat mill-funzjonament tas-suq intern wasslet għal żieda sostanzjali fi flussi transkonfinali ta' data personali. Żdied l-iskambju ta' data personali bejn atturi pubbliċi u privati, inklużi l-persuni fiżiċi, l-assoċjazzjonijiet u l-impriżi fl-Unjoni kollha. L-awtoritajiet nazzjonali fl-Istati Membri qegħdin jintalbu bil-liġi tal-Unjoni biex jikkooperaw u jiskambjaw data personali sabiex ikunu jistgħu jwettqu d-dmirijiet tagħhom jew iwettqu kompiti f'isem awtorità fi Stat Membru ieħor.
(5) The economic and social integration resulting from the functioning of the internal market has led to a substantial increase in cross-border flows of personal data. The exchange of personal data between public and private actors, including natural persons, associations and undertakings across the Union has increased. National authorities in the Member States are being called upon by Union law to cooperate and exchange personal data so as to be able to perform their duties or carry out tasks on behalf of an authority in another Member State.
(6) L-iżviluppi teknoloġiċi rapidi u l-globalizzazzjoni ġabu sfidi ġodda għall-protezzjoni tad-data personali. L-iskala tal-ġbir u l-kondiviżjoni tad-data personali żdiedet b'mod sinifikanti. It-teknoloġija tippermetti kemm lil kumpanniji privati kif ukoll lil awtoritajiet pubbliċi li jagħmlu użu minn data personali fuq skala mingħajr preċedenti sabiex iwettqu l-attivitajiet tagħhom. Il-persuni fiżiċi qegħdin dejjem aktar jagħmlu l-informazzjoni personali disponibbli pubblikament u globalment. It-teknoloġija bidlet kemm l-ekonomija kif ukoll il-ħajja soċjali, u għandha tkompli tiffaċilita l-fluss liberu tad-data personali fl-Unjoni u t-trasferiment lejn pajjiżi terzi u organizzazzjonijiet internazzjonali, filwaqt li tiżgura livell għoli ta' protezzjoni tad-data personali.
(6) Rapid technological developments and globalisation have brought new challenges for the protection of personal data. The scale of the collection and sharing of personal data has increased significantly. Technology allows both private companies and public authorities to make use of personal data on an unprecedented scale in order to pursue their activities. Natural persons increasingly make personal information available publicly and globally. Technology has transformed both the economy and social life, and should further facilitate the free flow of personal data within the Union and the transfer to third countries and international organisations, while ensuring a high level of the protection of personal data.
(7) Dawk l-iżviluppi jeħtieġu qafas b'saħħtu u aktar koerenti għall-protezzjoni tad-data fl-Unjoni, appoġġat minn infurzar qawwi, minħabba l-importanza tal-ħolqien tal-fiduċja li ser tippermetti li l-ekonomija diġitali tiżviluppa fis-suq intern kollu. Il-persuni fiżiċi għandu jkollhom il-kontroll tad-data personali tagħhom. Għandha tissaħħaħ iċ-ċertezza legali u prattika għall-persuni fiżiċi, l-operaturi ekonomiċi u l-awtoritajiet pubbliċi.
(7) Those developments require a strong and more coherent data protection framework in the Union, backed by strong enforcement, given the importance of creating the trust that will allow the digital economy to develop across the internal market. Natural persons should have control of their own personal data. Legal and practical certainty for natural persons, economic operators and public authorities should be enhanced.
(8) Fejn dan ir-Regolament jipprevedi speċifikazzjonijiet jew restrizzjonijiet għar-regoli tiegħu mil-liġijiet tal-Istati Membri, l-Istati Membri jistgħu, sa fejn ikun meħtieġ għall-koerenza u biex id-dispożizzjonijiet nazzjonali jkunu komprensibbli għall-persuni li għalihom japplikaw, jinkorporaw elementi ta' dan ir-Regolament fil-liġi nazzjonali tagħhom.
(8) Where this Regulation provides for specifications or restrictions of its rules by Member State law, Member States may, as far as necessary for coherence and for making the national provisions comprehensible to the persons to whom they apply, incorporate elements of this Regulation into their national law.
(9) L-għanijiet u l-prinċipji tad-Direttiva 95/46/KE jibqgħu sodi, iżda din ma waqqfitx il-frammentazzjoni fl-implimentazzjoni fil-protezzjoni tad-data fl-Unjoni kollha, in-nuqqas ta' ċertezza legali jew perċezzjoni pubblika mifruxa li hemm riskji sinifikanti għall-protezzjoni tal-persuni fiżiċi, b'mod partikolari fir-rigward tal-attività online. Id-differenzi fil-livell ta' protezzjoni tad-drittijiet u l-libertajiet tal-persuni fiżiċi, b'mod partikolari id-dritt għall-protezzjoni tad-data personali, fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar tad-data personali fl-Istati Membri jistgħu jimpedixxu l-fluss liberu tad-data personali fl-Unjoni kollha. Dawk id-differenzi jistgħu jkunu ta' xkiel għat-twettiq ta' attivitajiet ekonomiċi fil-livell tal-Unjoni, jgħawwġu l-kompetizzjoni u jxekklu lill-awtoritajiet fit-twettiq tar-responsabbiltajiet tagħhom skont il-liġi tal-Unjoni. Tali differenza fil-livelli ta' protezzjoni hija dovuta għall-eżistenza ta' differenzi fl-implimentazzjoni u l-applikazzjoni tad-Direttiva 95/46/KE.
(9) The objectives and principles of Directive 95/46/EC remain sound, but it has not prevented fragmentation in the implementation of data protection across the Union, legal uncertainty or a widespread public perception that there are significant risks to the protection of natural persons, in particular with regard to online activity. Differences in the level of protection of the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in particular the right to the protection of personal data, with regard to the processing of personal data in the Member States may prevent the free flow of personal data throughout the Union. Those differences may therefore constitute an obstacle to the pursuit of economic activities at the level of the Union, distort competition and impede authorities in the discharge of their responsibilities under Union law. Such a difference in levels of protection is due to the existence of differences in the implementation and application of Directive 95/46/EC.
(10) Sabiex ikun żgurat livell konsistenti u għoli ta' protezzjoni tal-persuni fiżiċi u sabiex jitneħħew l-ostakoli għaċ-ċirkolazzjoni tad-data personali fl-Unjoni, il-livell ta' protezzjoni tad-drittijiet u l-libertajiet tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar ta' din id-data għandu jkun ekwivalenti fl-Istati Membri kollha. L-applikazzjoni konsistenti u omoġenea tar-regoli għall-protezzjoni tad-drittijiet u l-libertajiet fundamentali tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar ta' data personali għandha tkun żgurata fl-Unjoni kollha. Fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar tad-data personali għall-konformità ma' obbligu legali, għat-twettiq ta' kompitu li jsir fl-interess pubbliku jew fl-eżerċizzju ta' awtorità uffiċjali mogħtija lill-kontrollur, l-Istati Membri għandhom ikunu jistgħu iżommu jew jintroduċu dispożizzjonijiet nazzjonali biex jispeċifikaw aktar l-applikazzjoni tar-regoli ta' dan ir-Regolament. Flimkien mal-liġi ġenerali u orizzontali dwar il-protezzjoni tad-data għall-implimentazzjoni tad-Direttiva 95/46/KE, l-Istati Membri għandhom diversi liġijiet speċifiċi għas-settur f'oqsma li jeħtieġu dispożizzjonijiet aktar speċifiċi. Dan ir-Regolament jipprovdi wkoll marġni ta' manuvrar għall-Istati Membri biex jispeċifikaw ir-regoli tagħhom, inkluż għall-ipproċessar ta' kategoriji speċjali ta' data personali (“data sensittiva”). Sa dak il-punt, dan ir-Regolament ma jeskludix il-liġijiet tal-Istati Membri li jispeċifikaw iċ-ċirkostanzi għal sitwazzjonijiet speċifiċi ta' pproċessar, inkluż li jiġu ddeterminati b'mod aktar preċiż il-kondizzjonijiet li taħthom l-ipproċessar ta' data personali jkun legali.
(10) In order to ensure a consistent and high level of protection of natural persons and to remove the obstacles to flows of personal data within the Union, the level of protection of the rights and freedoms of natural persons with regard to the processing of such data should be equivalent in all Member States. Consistent and homogenous application of the rules for the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data should be ensured throughout the Union. Regarding the processing of personal data for compliance with a legal obligation, for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller, Member States should be allowed to maintain or introduce national provisions to further specify the application of the rules of this Regulation. In conjunction with the general and horizontal law on data protection implementing Directive 95/46/EC, Member States have several sector-specific laws in areas that need more specific provisions. This Regulation also provides a margin of manoeuvre for Member States to specify its rules, including for the processing of special categories of personal data (‘sensitive data’). To that extent, this Regulation does not exclude Member State law that sets out the circumstances for specific processing situations, including determining more precisely the conditions under which the processing of personal data is lawful.
(11) Il-protezzjoni effettiva tad-data personali fl-Unjoni kollha teħtieġ it-tisħiħ u l-ispeċifikar fid-dettall tad-drittijiet tas-suġġetti tad-data u l-obbligi ta' dawk li jipproċessaw u jiddeterminaw l-ipproċessar ta' data personali, kif ukoll ta' setgħat ekwivalenti għall-monitoraġġ u l-iżgurar tal-konformità mar-regoli għall-protezzjoni tad-data personali u sanzjonijiet ekwivalenti għall-ksur fl-Istati Membri.
(11) Effective protection of personal data throughout the Union requires the strengthening and setting out in detail of the rights of data subjects and the obligations of those who process and determine the processing of personal data, as well as equivalent powers for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the rules for the protection of personal data and equivalent sanctions for infringements in the Member States.
(12) L-Artikolu 16(2) tat-TFUE jagħti mandat lill-Parlament Ewropew u lill-Kunsill li jistabbilixxu r-regoli relatati mal-protezzjoni tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar tad-data personali u r-regoli relatati mal-moviment liberu tad-data personali.
(12) Article 16(2) TFEU mandates the European Parliament and the Council to lay down the rules relating to the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and the rules relating to the free movement of personal data.
(13) Sabiex ikun żgurat livell konsistenti ta' protezzjoni għall-persuni fiżiċi fl-Unjoni kollha u sabiex ma jkunx hemm diverġenzi li jfixklu l-moviment liberu tad-data personali fis-suq intern, huwa meħtieġ Regolament li jipprovdi ċertezza legali u trasparenza għall-operaturi ekonomiċi, inklużi l-mikrointrapriżi, l-intrapriżi ż-żgħar u dawk ta' daqs medju, u biex jipprovdi lill-persuni fiżiċi fl-Istati Membri kollha l-istess livell ta' drittijiet u obbligi infurzabbli bil-liġi u responsabbiltajiet għall-kontrolluri u għall-proċessuri, sabiex ikun żgurat monitoraġġ konsistenti tal-ipproċessar tad-data personali, u sanzjonijiet ekwivalenti fl-Istati Membri kollha kif ukoll kooperazzjoni effettiva bejn l-awtoritajiet ta' superviżjoni tal-Istati Membri differenti. Il-funzjonament adatt tas-suq intern jeħtieġ li l-moviment liberu tad-data personali fl-Unjoni ma jkunx ristrett jew ipprojbit għal raġunijiet marbutin mal-protezzjoni tal-persuni fiżiċi fir-rigward tal-ipproċessar ta' data personali. Biex jieħu kont tas-sitwazzjoni speċifika tal-mikrointrapriżi, l-intrapriżi żgħar u dawk ta' daqs medju, dan ir-Regolament jinkludi deroga għal organizzazzjonijiet b'inqas minn 250 impjegat fir-rigward taż-żamma ta' reġistru. Barra minn hekk, l-istituzzjonijiet u l-korpi tal-Unjoni, u l-Istati Membri u l-awtoritajiet superviżorji tagħhom huma mħeġġa jieħdu kont tal-ħtiġijiet speċifiċi tal-mikrointrapriżi, l-intrapriżi żgħar u dawk ta' daqs medju fl-applikazzjoni ta' dan ir-Regolament. Il-kunċett ta' mikrointrapriżi, intrapriżi żgħar u ta' daqs medju għandu jiġi bbażat fuq l-Artikolu 2 tal-Anness għar-Rakkomandazzjoni tal-Kummissjoni 2003/361/KE (5).
(13) In order to ensure a consistent level of protection for natural persons throughout the Union and to prevent divergences hampering the free movement of personal data within the internal market, a Regulation is necessary to provide legal certainty and transparency for economic operators, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and to provide natural persons in all Member States with the same level of legally enforceable rights and obligations and responsibilities for controllers and processors, to ensure consistent monitoring of the processing of personal data, and equivalent sanctions in all Member States as well as effective cooperation between the supervisory authorities of different Member States. The proper functioning of the internal market requires that the free movement of personal data within the Union is not restricted or prohibited for reasons connected with the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data. To take account of the specific situation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, this Regulation includes a derogation for organisations with fewer than 250 employees with regard to record-keeping. In addition, the Union institutions and bodies, and Member States and their supervisory authorities, are encouraged to take account of the specific needs of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the application of this Regulation. The notion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises should draw from Article 2 of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC [5].
(5) Ir-Rakkomandazzjoni tal-Kummissjoni 2003/361/KE tas-6 ta' Mejju 2003 rigward id-definizzjoni ta' mikrointrapriżi, intrapriżi żgħar u ta' daqs medju (C(2003) 1422) (ĠU L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L:2003:124:TOC
[5] Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (C(2003) 1422) (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L:2003:124:TOC