Privacy law in Europe

The GDPR applies directly in every EU member state, so the interesting differences are national: which authority supervises you, what the implementing act does with the GDPR’s opening clauses, and the age below which a child cannot consent. Three of these countries are outside the EU GDPR entirely — the UK runs its own, Switzerland never joined, and Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland arrive through the EEA Agreement.

European Union instruments that apply across the bloc: GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, AI Act, Data Act, Data Governance Act, NIS2.