In an Opinion, EDPS calls for strengthening of proposed Regulation on the Internal Market Information System. In particular, the EDPS supports a consistent approach to data protection in establishing an electronic system for the exchange of information, including relevant personal data.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) provides a series of recommendations to further strengthen the data protection framework for the Internal Market Information System ('IMI'). Particularly, he supports a consistent approach to data protection in establishing an electronic system for the exchange of information, including relevant personal data. At the same time, the EDPS cautions that establishment of a single centralized electronic system for multiple areas of administrative cooperation also creates risks. In July 2010, EDPS also called for more legal certainty and a higher level of data protection for IMI.

The recommendations issued in an Opinion include a call for further strengthening of data subjects' rights and for reconsideration of the extension of the currently applicable 6-months retention period unless adequate justifications are provided. Additionally, he recommends that functionalities of IMI that are already foreseeable should be further clarified and that the inclusion of new functionalities should require appropriate procedural safeguards, such as preparation of a data protection impact assessment and consultation of the EDPS and national data protection authorities.

The EDPS also welcomes the provisions on coordinated supervision and recommends that these should be further strengthened in order to guarantee effective and active cooperation among the data protection authorities involved.