Leiden University Student Repository

Flaton, Reinder (2015)

Privacy Power Europe - Protecting Others by Protecting Ourselves

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

Data transfers are done on a global scale and are impervious to man-made geographical borders. Attempts to regulate them may therefore lead to jurisdictional overlaps. This paper focuses on the EU using its power to change standards abroad. This is done in light of the Normative Power Europe concept. This concept is a particular perspective on the EU’s international role and its influence on affairs beyond its borders. From this perspective, the EU promotes and spreads its norms to third countries or other external entities. When it comes to privacy and data protection standards, the EU seems to be doing exactly this. This paper is an attempt to anchor EU privacy policy in the broader theoretical context of Normative Power Europe, developing a subset concept: Privacy Power Europe. This entails the construction of a Privacy Power Europe ideal type, having various characteristic features. The paper then continues with an extensive evaluation whether the EU in its current form and...Show moreData transfers are done on a global scale and are impervious to man-made geographical borders. Attempts to regulate them may therefore lead to jurisdictional overlaps. This paper focuses on the EU using its power to change standards abroad. This is done in light of the Normative Power Europe concept. This concept is a particular perspective on the EU’s international role and its influence on affairs beyond its borders. From this perspective, the EU promotes and spreads its norms to third countries or other external entities. When it comes to privacy and data protection standards, the EU seems to be doing exactly this. This paper is an attempt to anchor EU privacy policy in the broader theoretical context of Normative Power Europe, developing a subset concept: Privacy Power Europe. This entails the construction of a Privacy Power Europe ideal type, having various characteristic features. The paper then continues with an extensive evaluation whether the EU in its current form and actions in fact shows these characteristic features. The question is asked whether the EU is a normative power in the area of privacy and data protection.Show less

Privacy

Data Protection

European Union

Normative Power Europe

Right to be forgotten

Data retention

Brussels Effect

Normative Impact

jurisdictional overlap

Author

Flaton, Reinder

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

European Union Studies

Supervisors

Oster, Jan

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en