The government of new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has passed an interim rule by means of which legal entities' personal data are no longer protected and covered by Italian data protection legislation. According to Rocco Panetta of Panetta & Associati in Rome, Italy was one of only a few countries in the European Union extending protection provided for by EU Directive 95/46/CE over legal entities' data. Panetta describes the government's move as "historic," adding the scope of the reform is to contribute in enhancing the economy and reducing bureaucracy in enterprises. However, Panetta said, "at the moment, the first effect would be only that of the annulment of a useful tool for companies to protect (their intellectual property), data considered in Italy as personal, and therefore strongly protected and assisted by administrative and criminal sanctions, as well as by the possibility to claim civil liabilities in court." (Article in Italian)
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