No transparency for everyone

(EJC, 22. Nov. 2022; C-37/20, C-601/2)

This is what the judges say: With regard to the transparency registers set up in the European member states in the wake of the EU Money Laundering Directive, the European Court of Justice has ruled that unlimited public access represents a serious encroachment on the fundamental rights to respect for private life and the protection of personal rights. The provision to disclose company data to anyone - including criminals, industrial spies and competitors - is thus no longer covered by European law. Since the beginning of the debate about a public transparency register, family business owners had pointed out the violation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights - now they can breathe a sigh of relief: data protection applies to everyone, including entrepreneurs.