is a guideline for EU memberstates to devise and implement a national law which follows as closely as possible the directive.

Directives require individual implementation in each member state, and is implemented by the creation of national laws approved by the parliaments of each member state.

This Directive is the predecessor to the GDPR.

As it was just a directive, National implementations were subject to interpretation. In the end this did not create a level playing field.

The EU aims to facilitate the economy of its memberstates by producing regulations that create an economic level playing field, for all enterprises within the EU.