20 years ago, on Jan. 17, 2004, the EDPS set itself the task of establishing an independent authority to protect people's fundamental rights to privacy and data protection.
Since then, the way personal data are processed and the digital landscape as a whole have evolved significantly. The EDPS has also changed. As an institution, we have grown stronger, bolder, with one constant drive: our appetite and ambition to protect people, to influence and guide the development of data protection and its regulation across the European Union (EU).
The EDPS' expertise includes four mandates, each with different priorities to shape the data protection landscape we know today.
Looking back, the first mandate represented the first step towards privacy protection in the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies (EUIs), with the pursuit of many pioneering initiatives, including the first complaints, legislative consultations or the establishment of the EDPS - Network of EUIs for Data Protection. During the second mandate, the EDPS championed excellence in data protection, reinforced by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, which expressed data protection as a directly enforceable right for all. The third mandate was marked by a revolution in data protection law with the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation for the EU/European Economic Area and Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 for EUIs. The EDPS has been and continues to play an important role in the development, enforcement and practical application of these important pieces of legislation, raising data protection principles to a global standard. In this current and fourth mandate, the EDPS strives for a more secure digital future for the EU and a positive vision of digitization that values and respects all individuals, especially the most vulnerable.
Reflecting on the progress made, mountains conquered and lessons learned, I am fueled with the determination to meet the challenges ahead, to continue to shape the digital world of tomorrow.
As such, I see the EDPS' 20th anniversary celebration as an opportunity to take stock of the past and build on the present to approach the challenges ahead in a way that respects the privacy of individuals and leaves no one behind.
To achieve this, my institution has chosen to base its anniversary on four key pillars - all designed to highlight the importance and impact of data protection, which you can follow on the EDPS' special 20th anniversary website.
Preparing for tomorrow's data protection landscape requires a keen understanding of past, present and possible future dynamics between data protection, privacy, technology, policy and other areas.
To that end, the first pillar consists of a book and a timeline analy zing key data protection milestones and the influence and history of the EDPS over the past two decades, as well as an in-depth analysis of what's to come.
To inform our work as a data protection authority in the future, we also need to be able to learn from others. Our second pillar consists of 20 interviews with leading voices from around the world who share their unique perspective on how data protection and privacy shape their respective fields.
In order to modernize the EDPS approach to anticipate and address future challenges, our third pillar includes 20 initiatives to further promote the fundamental rights of individuals.
The fourth pillar is our European Data Protection Summit - Rethinking Data in a Democratic Society, taking place on June 20, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. At this event, we aim to promote dynamic and open discussions on the role of privacy and data protection in modern democracies by exploring, in particular, the role of a state at a time of ever-growing collection of information about citizens.
With these four pillars, the EDPS, as a responsible and forward-looking data protection authority, aims to anticipate the challenges and opportunities ahead to equip itself with enforceable regulatory tools that protect individuals' personal data, in an era where data is crucial to shaping the digital landscape, businesses, governments and other entities.
My institution will be working continuously on these four pillars in the coming months. You can follow our progress on the EDPS' special 20th anniversary website
