"The Directive does offer a substantial improvement for data protection as for the first time it establishes a common data protection standard for the police and justice sectors. It however remains a minimum harmonization text
“The Directive does offer a substantial improvement for data protection as for the first time it establishes a common data protection standard for the police and justice sectors. It however remains a minimum harmonization text and it only contains loose provisions with regard to the new threats posed by intelligence-led policing. It thus remains to be seen how the Directive will be implemented in practice and which room of manoeuver will be let to data protection authorities and civil society to play their roles as watchdogs.”
See: The Directive for data protection in the police and justice sectors: towards better data protection? (KU Leuven, link)