Susanna Vela Submits 58 Amendments to Andorra's Criminal Data Processing Bill

Susanna Vela, general councillor for the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, has submitted 58 amendments to the qualified bill on processing personal data for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting criminal offences. The bill is currently under deliberation at the Consell General.

The proposals, characterised as primarily technical by the group, do not challenge the need for a specific legal framework to regulate police and criminal data handling alongside public security requirements. Instead, they seek to refine the drafting for greater clarity and coherence, strengthen safeguards for fundamental rights, and prevent overly broad or automatic interpretations that could undermine personal protections.

Among the changes, the amendments would bolster the bill's preamble to emphasise interpretation in line with necessity and proportionality principles, consistent with Andorra's Constitution, the 2021 Qualified Law on Personal Data Protection, and European standards such as Directive 2016/680.

Substantively, they aim to more precisely define the bill's scope and application, specifying competent authorities and conditions for this special regime while distinguishing it from general data protection rules. The measures insist that all data processing remains lawful, necessary, and proportional, confined strictly to essential purposes, with clear limits on retention periods and periodic reviews to prevent indefinite accumulation in this sensitive area.

Additional protections target special categories of data, including biometrics, genetics, health, and ideology, requiring explicit legal basis and specific safeguards. The package also underscores system-wide consistency with the 2021 data protection law and highlights the need for an independent control authority—particularly for data processing in judicial functions—to close oversight gaps and ensure effective supervision.

Overall, Vela's amendments intend to enable the law to meet criminal and public security objectives through a clear, coherent framework with robust protections for personal data and rights.