Speech of European Data Protection Superviser on "the European Approach"

The European Data Protection Supervisor gave a speech recently entitled "The European Approach: regulation through protection authorities". He describes briefly the salient elements of the EC system of data protection : Broad rights conferred by legislation and processing of data subject to independent control. He makes the claim that "data protection" is distinguishable from the "right to privacy":

The European approach to data protection is thus intimately related to the protection of fundamental rights in an ‘Information Society’, and to the development of the right to ‘protection of personal data’ as a fundamental right, clearly distinguishable from the ‘right to privacy’.

Exactly what that means is not made clear. He just states that protection is afforded to personal data in its own right, whether or not personal privacy is in issue. Pity as the point is an interesting one. But if data is granted protection because it is personal, does it not form part of an individual's right of privacy ?