The Belgian DPA participates in the EDPB coordinated action on the DPO

The EDPB has launched its second coordinated enforcement action (CEF) which this year will focus on the designation and position of the data protection officer (DPO).  The BE DPA, for which the DPO is a 2023 priority, participates in this action. This is the second annual coordinated action of the EDPB, the first one was on the use of the cloud by the public sector. 

As allies of data protection authorities on the field, DPOs play a key role in contributing to compliance with data protection rules, and in promoting the effective protection of data subjects’ rights in their organisation. This is why the BE DPA has listed “the DPO” as one of its priorities for 2023, and is participating in the action organised by the EDPB.

To gauge whether DPOs have the position required by the GDPR in their organisations, and the resources needed to carry out their tasks, participating DPAs will implement the CEF at national level in a number of ways.

In Belgium, the DPA decided firstly to conduct a survey : it was sent today by email to the registered DPOs.  

The questionnaire will explore, among other things, what tasks the DPOs are entrusted with in their organisation, whether these are clearly defined and communicated to stakeholders, as well as their working regime and the frequency with which they report to management. The questionnaire will also aim to clarify the expectations of DPOs in terms of support from a data protection authority.

The results of the survey will then be aggregated in a report that will be made public in order to raise awareness of the problems encountered by DPOs. The responses to the survey will also allow the BE DPA to assess possible difficulties in the field and therefore to consider further actions in terms of prevention and/or control.

The BE DPA encourages all DPOs to participate in the survey in order to enable it to better understand the realities of the DPO function in Belgium, and thus provide it with the key elements necessary to target its support actions towards them.

To allow full confidence and encourage transparency in answers, DPOs will not be asked to identify themselves or the organisation they work for.

The BE DPA would like to thank in advance all participating DPOs for their valuable contribution.

DPOs who have not received the survey by email can request it at CEF2023@apd-gba.be. The survey (available in French or Dutch) is for Data Protection Officers only.