EU and the protection of personal data

Here’s the doc http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CONSIL:ST_5419_2016_REV_1&qid=1460386101221&from=SV

216 pages of EU law. Totally incomprehensible other than to the trained like Kaos. I wonder how many billions were poured into this doc. Is this anti terrorism or personal protection? I don’t get it. Is there a summary somewhere in English?

“… Consistent and homogenous application of the
rules for the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons with
regard to the processing of personal data should be ensured throughout the Union.
Regarding the processing of personal data for compliance with a legal obligation, for the
performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official
authority vested in the controller, Member States should be allowed to maintain or
introduce national provisions to further specify the application of the rules of this
Regulation. …”

I’m guessing major legal documents are convoluted, long, and take years to produce… And that applies to both domestic and international rulings. So I think this has little to do with the EU and more to do with the legal and political professions themselves.

I’ve struggled to read contracts from insurance companies and landlords in the past because the ‘standard’ contracts are so bizarre.