Steering committee

Steering Group

 

About the Group

The European Conference of Data Protection Authorities stands as the annual meeting for independent data protection authorities across European states, both within and outside the EEA, to provide a forum for cooperation, to tackle issues of mutual concerns and exchange of best practice in the field of privacy and data protection.

The Conference consists of the Annual Plenary, the Steering Group and Sub-Groups. In May 2022, the Conference mandated the establishment of an Interim Steering Group to update the Rules and Procedures to reflect the proposed Mission and the Vision of the Conference and also to create a permanent Steering Group, to describe the role and mission of such Group, and to clarify the Conference Accreditation Rules. This Interim Steering Group paved the way for the creation of a permanent Steering Group of the Spring Conference, which was officially established in May 2023. Hence, the mandate of the Interim Steering Group ended in May 2023.

 

Membership

The permanent Steering Group comprises up to 8 members: the previous, current and future Conference hosts and (optionally) the current host of the European Case Handling Workshop (ECHW), plus up to four ordinary seats. To provide balance and continuity to the Steering Group, ordinary seats serve for three years, unless they wish to step down.

Since May 2023, the following members occupy the available seats of the Steering Group:

Type of Participation Respective Data Protection Authority
Conference Plenary host in 2023 Hungary – National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Conference Plenary host in 2024 Latvia – Data State Inspectorate
Conference Plenary host in 2025

Georgia – Personal Data Protection Service*

Host of the European Case-Handling Workshop in 2023**

Switzerland – Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner
Ordinary seat Bulgaria – Commission for Personal Data Protection
Ordinary seat Cyprus – Commissioner for Personal Data Protection
Ordinary seat Personal Data Protection Service (Coordinator)
Ordinary seat United Kingdom – Information Commissioner’s Office

Coordinator

Per the Rules and Procedures of the Conference, the position is agreed upon by consensus annually by the Members of the Group itself and announced to the Conference. The Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia volunteered as a candidate for the Coordinator role.

With the support and upon the decisions of the Steering Group Members, in 2023, the Personal Data Protection Service of Georgia was appointed and announced as a Coordinator of the Steering Group.

 


* Note: In 2023, the Data Protection Authority of Iceland occupied the seat as a host authority of the 33rd edition of the Spring Conference, but later, the authority stepped down and was replaced by the new host of the plenary in 2025.