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European Data Protection Board - Eighteenth Plenary session: Evaluation of the GDPR and statement on privacy implications of mergers

Publication date 24.2.2020 9.28 | Published in English on 24.2.2020 at 9.33
Press release

On February 18th and 19th, the EEA Supervisory Authorities and the European Data Protection Supervisor, assembled in the European Data Protection Board, met for their eighteenth plenary session. During the plenary, a wide range of topics was discussed.

The EDPB and the individual EEA Supervisory Authorities (SAs) contributed to the evaluation and review of the GDPR as required by Art. 97 GDPR. The EDPB is of the opinion that the application of the GDPR in the first 20 months has been successful. Although the need for sufficient resources for all SAs is still a concern and some challenges remain, resulting, for example, from the patchwork of national procedures, the Board is convinced that the cooperation between SAs will result in a common data protection culture and consistent practice. The EDPB is examining possible solutions to overcome these challenges and to improve existing cooperation procedures. It also calls upon the European Commission to check if national procedures impact the effectiveness of the cooperation procedures and considers that, eventually, legislators may also have a role to play in ensuring further harmonisation. In its assessment, the EDPB also addresses issues such as international transfer tools, impact on SMEs, SA resources and development of new technologies. The EDPB concludes that it is premature to revise the GDPR at this point in time.

Guidelines on transfers of personal data between authorities

The EDPB adopted draft guidelines to provide further clarification regarding the application of Articles 46.2 (a) and 46.3 (b) of the GDPR. These articles address transfers of personal data from EEA public authorities or bodies to public bodies in third countries or to international organisations, where these transfers are not covered by an adequacy decision. The guidelines recommend which safeguards to implement in legally binding instruments (art. 46.2 (a)) or in administrative arrangements (Art. 46.3 (b)) to ensure that the level of protection of natural persons under the GDPR is met and not undermined. The guidelines will be submitted for public consultation.

Statement on privacy implications of mergers

Following the announcement of Google LLC’s intention to acquire Fitbit, the EDPB adopted a statement highlighting that the possible further combination and accumulation of sensitive personal data regarding people in Europe by a major tech company could entail a high level of risk to privacy and data protection. The EDPB reminds the parties to the proposed merger of their obligations under the GDPR and to conduct a full assessment of the data protection requirements and privacy implications of the merger in a transparent way. The Board urges the parties to mitigate possible risks to the rights to privacy and data protection before notifying the merger to the European Commission. The EDPB will consider any implications for the protection of personal data in the EEA and stands ready to contribute its advice to the EC if so requested.

More information:
Deputy Data Protection Ombudsman Anu Talus, tel. +358 29 566 6766, anu.talus(at)om.fi

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