Berlin, 30 October 2018 – At Friday’s AGM of FENCA (Federation of European National Collection Associations) in Strasbourg, the European umbrella organisation for debt collection and debt purchase formally adopted a Code of Conduct to apply the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the debt collection and debt purchase sector.
Acknowledged in this endeavour by European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová, FENCA is one of the first European trade bodies to develop a Code of Conduct, as encouraged by Article 40 of the GDPR.
Leigh Berkley, Vice-President of FENCA and leading the project, said:
“It is a fantastic achievement for FENCA to get an entire sector of the financial services industry to agree on detailed data protection rules demonstrating compliance with GDPR, and thus safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers and firms right across Europe.”
“We are very grateful for the support and active engagement we received during the intense development processes from our national member organisations, key stakeholders within the industry and consumer advice organisations. The Board, expertly supported by FENCA Head Office and Director General Andreas Bücker, are delighted to have reached this milestone of self-regulation.”
In close exchange with national Data Protection Authorities, FENCA will now embark on the official process of adoption of the GDPR Code of Conduct by the European Data Protection Board.
The AGM also elected Michela De Marchi (UNIREC – Italy) and Claus Spedtsberg (DiB – Denmark) as new members to the FENCA Board of Directors, while Rayna Mitkova-Todorova (ACABG – Bulgaria) and Piotr Badowski (PZZW – Poland) were re-elected to serve for another three-year term.
Erwin Falkner, President of FENCA, commented:
“With a strengthened Board of seven and the enthusiastic commitment of our members, we are well placed to complete the work on the Code and to act successfully on the important legislative and regulatory developments in our industry across Europe in 2019.”
About FENCA:
FENCA represents the interests of the European credit management, debt collection and debt purchase sector on the European level, coordinating the exchange with the institutions of the European Union, stakeholders in the European financial services industry, consumer groups and the European public.
Founded in 1993, FENCA’s 23 national member associations represent 75% of all credit management, debt collection and debt purchase companies in Europe and hold 80% of the market share within the EU, with well over 80,000 staff providing services for more than five million businesses, including SMEs, European and overseas banks, as well as the public sector across the EU. The European credit management, debt collection and debt purchase sector re-injects between 45 and 55 billion Euros of valid claims back into the EU-economy each year, thereby securing above all the liquidity of micro, small and medium enterprises within the EU, while helping to keep the cost of credit at a reasonable level for all consumers.
For more information please contact:
Contact: Dr. Andreas Bücker, Director General
Address: Friedrichstrasse 50-55, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 30 206 07 36 30
Mobile: + 49 (0) 176 6257 0003
Email: office@fenca.eu
Web: www.fenca.eu
