Today at the European Parliament in Brussels, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) adopted an opinion drafted by PiS MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska on a report concerning the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market in the European Union. The opinion recommends that new EU regulations on AI strengthen existing mechanisms for the protection of personal data through proper interpretation and effective enforcement of the rules.
"The development of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are having an increasingly significant impact on the European labor market. According to estimates, as many as 90 percent of future jobs will require digital skills, and the growing digital and AI skills gap is becoming one of the main challenges for the European Union. However, in the midst of this technological transformation, it is essential to maintain a balance—development must go hand in hand with respect for fundamental rights, including the right to privacy,” says the LIBE opinion rapporteur.
The opinion prepared by Jadwiga Wiśniewska aims to ensure that new EU regulations on AI will not weaken existing mechanisms for the protection of personal data, but will strengthen them through proper interpretation and effective enforcement of the rules.
The LIBE rapporteur proposed a number of amendments to the document, based on the belief that “at this stage, there is no need to introduce additional provisions regarding the processing of personal data.” In her view, the GDPR already provides a robust, horizontally applicable legal framework that applies across all sectors, including employment. She warned that introducing further provisions would duplicate existing rules, lead to regulatory overlap, and risk undermining the clarity and enforceability of individuals’ rights.
As she explained, the amendments were strictly tailored to the scope of the LIBE Committee’s remit, avoiding overlap with the EMPL Committee’s responsibilities, while preserving the EMPL Committee’s call for clear prohibitions on certain practices. “The goal is to reduce the burden on both employers and employees and to ensure the consistency, enforceability, and balance of the legal framework,” Wiśniewska added.
“A compromise has been reached whereby the text strengthens existing safeguards without duplicating provisions and maintains a balance between protecting workers’ rights and providing clarity for businesses,” said the LIBE rapporteur after the vote.
