On June 2, 2021 the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published its Annual Report 2020 entitled „Ensuring data protection rights in a changing world”. The report provides a detailed overview of the work carried out by the EDPB in a year marked by the worldwide pandemic.
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is an independent European body, established by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which aims to ensure the consistent application of data protection rules across the European Economic Area (EEA). It achieves this aim by promoting cooperation between national Supervisory Authorities (SAs) and issuing general, EEA-wide guidance regarding the interpretation and application of data protection rules. The EDPB comprises the Heads of the EU SAs and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS). The European Commission has the right to participate in the activities and meetings of the EDPB without voting rights. The SAs of the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) are also members of the EDPB, although they do not hold the right to vote.
In the Annual Report 2020 the EDPB reports its work in all areas of its activity – issuing guidelines, recommendations, opinions, decisions; conducting consultations; promoting cooperation between data protection authorities, etc.
In a press release EDPB Chair, Andrea Jelinek said: „2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered how we live and work. Given the increasing presence of data-driven technologies in addressing the pandemic, the awareness of data protection rights among individuals and organisations has never been more critical. It is important to note that the 2020 lockdowns in all our countries did not mean a slowdown of the EDPB’s activities. 2020 was marked by many major developments in the EU data protection legal sphere, requiring the EDPB’s expertise and guidance.”
The EDPB Annual Report 2020 is published HERE.