ABSTRACT
The Personal Data Protection Law implements Directive 95/46/EC into the national legislation. In accordance with Article 2 of the Personal Data Protection Law, personal data are any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Article 10 of the Personal Data Protection Law allows further personal data processing for purposes other than those originally intended if it does not violate the rights of the data subject and is carried out for the needs of scientific or statistical research. Article 11 of the Personal Data Protection Law allows personal data processing if it is necessary for the purposes of medical treatment and it is carried out by a medical practitioner or a medical treatment institution and an adequate level of protection of personal data is ensured. According to the Law on State Population Register, a personal identity number shall be given to each Latvian inhabitant. However, in medical research additional authorities exist that are responsible for lawful processing during research.
