The Civil Liberties Committee (“LIBE”), the European Parliament’s lead committee for the proposed General Data Protection Regulation, is expected to vote on its preliminary position on the European Commission’s proposal on October, 21. LIBE has been struggling to reduce the large number of suggested amendments and, as a result, its vote has already been postponed twice (see Inside Privacy, Vote on EU Data Protection Regulation Again Postponed, June 21, 2013). The LIBE vote is a prerequisite for negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council which has not yet determined its position. The current Lithuanian Presidency is said to keeping up the pressure on the dossier. Several key issues are still controversial, both in the Parliament and in the Council, which promises a difficult and lengthy negotiation process between the two legislative bodies. Key stakeholders remain nonetheless optimistic that Council and Parliament can reach an agreement before May 2014, when the parliamentary term will end.