Wojciech Wiewiórowski will be the new EDPS



The Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union (Coreper) and at the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament (LIBE) have confirmed Wojciech Wiewiórowski for a 5-year mandate as European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS). Wiewiórowski’s appointment does not come as a surprise; has been Assistant Supervisor at the EDPS since 2014, and prior to that Inspector General for the Protection of Personal Data at the Polish Data Protection Authority. He was also Vice Chair of the Working Party Article 29 Group.

Questioned by the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home affairs, Wiewiórowski said that in early 2015, in the first 100 days of their mandate, Giovanni Buttarelli (late EDPS) and him developed a three-pronged strategy of taking data protection into the digital age, forging global partnerships and opening a new chapter for EU data protection. “This has been ideal preparation for me to now take our authority to a new level of leadership, building smart and innovative public administration. I intend to lead by example and harness the synergies available to EDPS with its unique place at the heart of the EU institutional architecture as well as the data protection community European law - not only classic data protection acts but all acquis communautaire - should be a benchmark for all new regulations around the world. At the moment the EU holds considerable influence in the regulation of the digital economy, but we cannot take this position for granted. If we allow our standards to slip, then countries in the world will increasingly look to other models, such as China’s or the models that are likely to emerge in India and the United States over the next five years,” he said.

“I will do everything within my competence to help the EDPB succeed in delivering consistent and robust enforcement of the GDPR throughout the EU.”

Next, the Civil Liberties Committee Chair will convey the outcome of the Civil Liberties Committee vote to the Conference of Presidents (EP President and the leaders of the political groups). Following their confirmation, the Parliament and the Council will proceed to formally appoint the new European Data Protection Supervisor.

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