Earlier today (26 November 2014) the Chairman of the Commission for Personal Data Protection (CPDP), Mr. Ventsislav Karadjov, was elected Vice-Chair of the Working party on the protection of individuals with regard to data processing, which has been established in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (Article 29 Working Party).
The Working Party comprises representatives of the EU members’ data protection authorities, the European Commission, The European Data Protection Supervisor, and other EU bodies and agencies.
The primary task of the Working party is to issue legal opinions on data protection. It is the main consultative body to the European Commission, assisting the Commission on every initiative which affects the rights and freedoms of individuals in the sphere of data and privacy protection. One of the functions of the Working Party is promotion of uniform EU legislation implementation in all member states and fostering the cooperation among data protection authorities.
The Article 29 Working Party is managed by a Chairman and two Vice-Chairs, elected with a two-year term of office. In February 2014 Ms. Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, was elected Chairwoman.
The Plenary, which took place on 26th November 2014, elected Vice-Chairs to a two-year term Mr. Ventsislav Karadjov – Chairman of the Bulgarian Commission for Personal Data Protection and Mr. Antonello Soro – President of the Italian Data protection Authority. Out of 28 member states, 21 supported Bulgaria`s candidacy.
During the hearing, the Chairman of CPDP placed emphasis on several priority tasks of the Consultative body, on which he would focus his efforts. Among them are better implementation of the European policies on data protection in South-East Europe and combating the implications stemming from utilization of mass surveillance techniques on behalf of the secret services. Mr. Karadjov also declared he would work for finding enduring solutions and answers to the privacy challenges posed by the rapid development of information technology.
The support expressed by the member-states for Mr. Karadjov candidacy is a sound basis for ensuring continuity of priorities for the future 2018 Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and CPDP’s desire to host the international conference of data protection authorities in the same year.
