Vienna, 29 May – At a two-day high level meeting in Vienna, EDPB Members have agreed to further enhance cooperation on strategic cases and to diversify the range of cooperation methods used.
Andrea Jelinek, Chair of the European Data Protection Board, said: “In the past four years, we have invested a great deal of resources in the interpretation and consistent application of the GDPR by endorsing and adopting no less than 57 Guidelines and 6 Recommendations. Enforcement by the data protection authorities (DPAs) has ramped up with cumulative fines adding up to 1.55Bn€ at the end of 2021. More than ever, strong and swift enforcement is crucial for ensuring a consistent interpretation of the GDPR. To stay on top of this growing workload and make the most efficient use of the possibilities for cooperation foreseen in the GDPR, we will yearly identify a number of cross-border cases of strategic importance for which an action plan with a fixed timeline for cooperation will be set. All EDPB Members are committed to close cooperation and we focus on practical solutions to strengthen the capacity of DPAs to enforce.”
Groups of DPAs may decide to join forces on investigation and enforcement activities and DPAs may share the work within these groups. When needed, an EDPB task force can be created.
Furthermore, the DPAs commit to exchanging information on national enforcement strategies with a view to agreeing on annual enforcement priorities at EDPB level, which can be reflected in national enforcement programmes. DPAs can prepare a common enforcement framework, including common instruments for inspections.
Finally, the EDPB stresses the importance of further harmonisation of national procedural laws. Andrea Jelinek: “We will identify a list of administrative procedural aspects that could be further harmonised on EU level to maximise the positive impact of GDPR, and share this information with the European Commission. This will help bridge differences and ensure a more effective application of the GDPR.”
Full statement available here
EDPB_Press Release_Statement_03
