Direct Marketing and Privacy: Overview of EU legislation and local specifics across Central Europe

Direct marketing is a vital element in the success of most businesses. Companies are continually caught between the need to develop innovative marketing strategies that leverage newer and more powerful technologies, while at the same time adapting to regulatory challenges which limit how they approach customers and nurture relationships. As a result, companies have complex decisions to make about how they process personal data. Can they rely purely on grounds of legitimate interest? Or is the prior consent of the customer a prerequisite? Is consent to be given on an opt-in or opt-out basis? And when can we adopt a “soft opt-in” approach?

In this cross-jurisdictional guide, we provide a consolidated overview of how countries across the Central European region regulate matters of direct marketing and privacy, with reference to the main EU laws on data protection and cookies.

We hope you will find this overview interesting and helpful to your work.