The EU’s independent data protection authority, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), last week released the 2021 EDPS Annual Report.
As discussed by Rob Robinson’s excellent ComplexDiscovery blog here, according to Article 60 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, “the European Data Protection Supervisor shall submit an annual report on his or her activities to the European Parliament, to the Council and to the Commission and at the same time make it public.”
The 2021 EDPS Annual Report highlights the EDPS’ achievements regarding European Union institutions’ (EU institutions) compliance with the data protection framework. The Report also underscores the EDPS’ increasing role in advocating for the respect of privacy and data protection in EU legislation.
In 2021, the EDPS increased the use of its corrective powers. Amongst the enforcement actions taken by the EDPS this year, particular significance is attributed to the Decision to order Europol to delete datasets with no established links to criminal activity, which the EDPS sees in the context of respecting the rule of law and upholding a mature checks and balances system.
This year was also unprecedented in terms of EDPS advice given to the EU legislator. With 88 Opinions, including Formal Comments, issued in 2021, compared to 27 in 2020, the EDPS addressed a record number of legislative consultations. This increase demonstrates a recognised importance of embedding data protection in EU law. Looking beyond the landscape of the EU institutions, the EDPS has also actively maintained its cooperation with civil society, academia, and various other stakeholders.
In the spirit of joint responsibility for the success of the General Data Protection Regulation, the EDPS also continued its active participation in the European Data Protection Board’s work, by proposing or partaking in a variety of initiatives.
Rob’s post has additional coverage of the highlights from the 2021 EDPS Annual Report, including an infographic with eight highlights from 2021, and a link to the page where you can download either the full report, a summary or a fact sheet.
So, what do you think? Are you familiar with the EDPS’s role in data protection in Europe? You are now! Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.
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