<!-- headlesslaw {"release":{"id":"a4f2a0495fe55b47323883f82977a9b34ab66171ec9623e39925d3a7045b6c81","published":"2026-11-01T16:41:30Z","pinned":false},"limits":{"coverage":{"history":"full","held_since":"2016-05-04","gaps":[],"covered":["GDPR L1"],"not_covered":["national guidance","court decisions"]},"freshness":{"release_id":"a4f2a0495fe55b47323883f82977a9b34ab66171ec9623e39925d3a7045b6c81","release_published":"2026-11-01T16:41:30Z","checked_at":"2026-11-01","checked_against":"EUR-Lex"},"truncation":null,"failures":[],"incomplete":[]},"page":{"path":"/gdpr/recitals/3","url":"https://www.headlesslaw.com/gdpr/recitals/3","title":"Recital 3","family":"l1_recital_view","work_id":"gdpr","view_of":"/gdpr/recitals","status":"in_force","force_status":"in_force","date_state":"current","requested_date":null,"as_of":"2026-11-01","applies_from":null,"application":null,"version_label":"Regulation (EU) 2016/679, OJ L 119, 4.5.2016","check":{"against":"EUR-Lex","on":"2026-11-01"},"check_result":"matched","official_url":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679","valid_from":"2016-05-04","valid_until":null,"content_id":"ee11cc1f57371a3e","versions":["2016-05-04"],"version_url":"https://www.headlesslaw.com/gdpr/recitals/3/versions/2016-05-04","revision_url":"https://www.headlesslaw.com/gdpr/recitals/3/versions/2016-05-04/rev/ee11cc1f57371a3e","versions_url":"https://www.headlesslaw.com/gdpr/recitals/3/versions","relations_url":"https://www.headlesslaw.com/gdpr/recitals/3/relations","act_url":"https://www.headlesslaw.com/gdpr/recitals","source_line":null,"attribution":null,"context":{"act":{"work_id":"gdpr","path":"/gdpr/recitals","name":"GDPR","number":"Regulation (EU) 2016/679","celex":"32016R0679","title_official":null,"document_date":null},"position":{"kind":"recital","key":"3","index":3,"articles":173,"annexes":0},"prev":{"path":"/gdpr/recitals/2","key":"2","title":"Recital 2"},"next":{"path":"/gdpr/recitals/4","key":"4","title":"Recital 4"},"act_anchor":""}}} -->
# Recital 3

*In force · Regulation (EU) 2016/679, OJ L 119, 4.5.2016 · Checked against EUR-Lex on 1 Nov 2026 · [Official source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679)*

Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council seeks to harmonise the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons in respect of processing activities and to ensure the free flow of personal data between Member States.