REQUEST FOR WASHINGTON: The EU wants the United States to strengthen data protection practices in order to create a uniform privacy landscape.
THE BACKDROP: The EU and U.S. are currently negotiating a new umbrella agreement on data protection, which the Europeans would like to see go into effect next year. It would set out the main principles of data protection and would be the basis for any new accords on specific issues.
THE TENSIONS: Since 2001, Europe and the United States have had a series of disagreements on how to strike the proper balance between protecting privacy and battling terrorism.
