Council of the EU Adopts New EU Law to Accelerate Cross-Border Data Protection Complaints

Council of the European Union (“Council”) has adopted new rules to enhance cooperation between national data protection authorities when enforcing the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) aiming to expedite the handling of cross-border data protection complaints.

According to the new rules:

• Harmonised admissibility: The criteria for determining whether a cross-border complaint can be investigated will be standardised across the EU, ensuring consistent assessment regardless of the member state where the complaint is filed.
• Rights of complainants and investigated parties: Common rules will apply to the involvement of complainants, the right to be heard for companies or organisations under investigation, and the right to review preliminary findings.
• Simple cooperation procedure: For straightforward cases, authorities may settle actions without invoking the full set of cooperation procedures to reduce administrative burden.
• Deadlines: Standard investigations should be completed within 15 months, with an extension of 12 months for complex cases. Simple cooperation procedures should be concluded within 12 months.

The Council’s adoption represents the final legislative step. The regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU and will become applicable 15 months thereafter.

You can access the full text of the regulation here.

Kind regards,

Zumbul Attorneys-at-Law

info@zumbul.av.tr

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