Short Reads - On 25 May 2018, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect. The GDPR replaces the EU's prior directive governing the processing and transfer of personal data, which was in place since 1995. As a regulation, the GDPR is directly applicable in all 28 EU member states and thus removes the need for national implementing legislation. However, the GDPR allows member states discretion in certain areas, as a result of which national legislation may still be implemented. In the Netherlands, the GDPR Implementation Act came into effect on 25 May 2018.