What is the meaning of the notion of "protection of medical data" in European Law?

The protection of medical data is built upon the right to respect for private life and is further elaborated by several legal instruments issued notably by the Council of Europe and the European Union. The main objective is to protect natural persons (data subjects) against the potential and actual risks of infringement of their rights and freedoms and notably their right to respect for private life (which includes the notion of informational self-determination) when processing personal data. European Directive 1995/46/EC manages these risks in four steps: ordinary risks, sensitive data, specific risks and transfer of personal data outside the European Union.