The European Union has approved new data protection rules to strengthen online privacy, streamline legislation between the 28 member states and boost police and security cooperation, the Associated Press reports.

The rules were adopted in a bid to detect jihadists, the culmination of a five-year debate that intensified after the Paris and Brussels attacks, AFP says.

The rules will for the first time create a strong data protection law for Europe's 500 million citizens, replacing an outdated patchwork of national rules that only allowed for tiny fines in cases of violation.

The rules were adopted Thursday, April 14 at the plenary when no amendments or requests for rejections were received.

The parliament's chief negotiator Jan Philipp Albrecht called it a "huge step forward for fundamental rights in the EU."