Have you ever wondered what happens to your personal data when you enter it online to book a flight? Can you really delete a photo you uploaded on a social networking site? Do you know who could help you if your data has been stolen or misused?

Many Europeans ask themselves the same questions. While people embrace the growing importance of the internet in daily life, 72 per cent of internet users in Europe (57 per cent in Malta) are concerned that they give away too much personal data. Just over a quarter of social network users (26 per cent in Europe and 45 per cent in Malta) and even fewer online shoppers (18 per cent in Europe and 42 per cent in Malta) feel in complete control of their personal data.

With social networking sites, smart phones that tell us where to find local restaurants and smart cards that hold our sensitive health care information, we leave digital traces with every move we make. In this “brave new data world”, we need a robust set of data protection rules. In Europe, the 1995 Data Protection Directive was a milestone in ensuring individual privacy and guaranteeing effective data protection. But differences in the way countries have implemented the law have led to loopholes in protection, depending on where someone lives or buys goods and services. The current rules need modernising – they date from when a small fraction of data was flowing on the internet and the founder of Facebook was 11 years old.

To protect personal data more effectively, the European Commission will propose a comprehensive reform of the rules this week. They will give you more control over your personal data and make it easier to access. You will also be better informed about what happens to your data once you decide to share it. The proposals are designed to make sure that your personal information is protected – no matter where it is sent or stored – even outside the EU, as may often be the case on the internet.

So what will change, concretely, for you?

There will be a single set of rules on data protection, covering all 27 EU member states. The EU rules will apply if companies handle personal data abroad or if these companies offer services to EU citizens. You will have easy access to your own data and will be able to move data from one service to another. Your photos, videos and contacts belong to you, not the company you happen to choose for your online profile. If you make a request for your data, all this information will be given back to you in a widely used format that makes it simple to choose another service. This is a question of fair competition.

The “right to be forgotten” will help you better cope with data protection risks online. When you no longer want your data to be processed and when there are no legitimate grounds to retain the data, it can be deleted. Imagine that you posted an embarrassing photo on your social network page. You have a job interview the next day so you want to remove it. Under the new rules, this right will exist as a reality, not just a principle.

The rules are about empowering individuals to control their data. This does not mean that people can erase past events in the newspaper or restrict the freedom of the press. The new rules also make it clear that when you consent to the handling of your data, this must happen explicitly and knowingly. And if data is stolen, lost or hacked you must be informed about it as soon as possible, not after a week.

For businesses, the new rules will mean less red tape and greater legal certainty. Unnecessary reporting requirements for companies will be removed where possible. Organisations will only have to deal with a single national data protection authority in the EU country of their main establishment.

People can be confident about going online and taking advantage of online shopping, new technologies, or sharing information with friends around the globe. It will make no difference where you live, or where the server or headquarters of a company is located.

This reinforced trust will in turn help businesses grow, take advantage of the internal market and better serve consumers throughout Europe, safely handling their personal data and with lower costs.

During these difficult times, that’s exactly what Europe needs.

Ms Reding is European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental rights and Citizenship.