SUPPORT & SIGN!

APPOINTMENT OF NEW EUROPEAN DATA PROTECTION SUPERVISOR:

SAFEGUARD EDPS INDEPENDENCE

OPEN LETTER TO PROTECT EDPS’ INDEPENDENCE 

Full letter to European institutions available here. 

“We, the undersigned, would like to bring to your attention the existence of a serious risk that the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) may no longer be in a position to fulfil properly their mission to supervise the compliance of EU institutions with the EU personal data protection legal regime.

The appointment as European Data Protection Supervisor of a candidate who has spent “12 years working in managerial roles in the area of data protection” at the European Commission, an institution EDPS is supposed to monitor, would raise a clear case of conflict of interest and undermine EDPS’ mission and legitimacy.

This would be a violation of the constitutionally protected complete independence of EDPS and of the principle of good administration. This would also undermine the European system of checks and balances, in favour of the Commission.

On Data Protection Day, we would like to recall that data protection is an expression in the digital age of our fundamental values and an essential safeguard for our rights and freedoms. Independent supervision and enforcement is indispensable to ensure that our rights, and corresponding obligations, are a practical reality.  

We thus urge you to appoint as European Data Protection Supervisor a candidate whose independence is beyond doubt.

Thank you for your attention and swift action”