> WIRED NEWS
>
> Bush Rejects EC Privacy Proposal
>
> Reuters
> http://www.wirednews.com/news/politics/0,1283,42647,00.html
>
> 6:00 a.m. Mar. 27, 2001 PST
>
> NEW YORK -- The Bush administration is objecting strongly to a set of
> proposed European Commission privacy rules that could hurt transatlantic
> e-commerce, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition
> Tuesday.
>
> In a March 23 letter to a top commission official, the Commerce and
> Treasury Departments said the proposed rules "impose unduly burdensome
> requirements that are incompatible with real-world operations," according
> to the report.
>
> At issue are proposed "standard clauses" for contracts between U.S. and
> European firms that would obligate American firms to operate under
> European Union privacy standards, which are much stricter than U.S. law,
> the paper said.
>
> EU standards require, for example, that consumers have access to
> information collected about them and notice on how it is used, the paper
> noted.
>
> The clauses, which are slated to go to the European Parliament for
> consideration, could become mandatory for U.S. firms, the paper said.
>
> The Bush administration's objection comes as a response to concerns in the
> financial-services sector, the paper said.
>
> While some American companies have a measure of protection under
> negotiated "safe harbor" provisions, financial-services firms do not, it
> said.
>
> "In short, we share the concern of a number of multinational firms that
> the adoption of the proposed standard clauses will introduce uncertainty
> about the use of contracts," the letter from the undersecretary for
> domestic finance, Donald Hammond, and acting undersecretary for
> international trade, Bernard Carreau, was reported as stating.
>
> The paper said that the letter -- sent Friday to John Mogg, the European
> Commission's top financial policymaker -- asked that the implementation of
> the rules, likely this summer, be delayed.
>
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