GDPR enforcement will improve slowly in the EU

Significance

The European Commission has repeatedly rejected calls to assess the GDPR’s performance, but in June the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Wojciech Wiewiorowski broke the silence at a conference. He noted that unequal burden-sharing and procedural law differences are hampering cooperation among member states, and that enforcement against tech majors is especially insufficient.

Impacts

• Protracted legal battles between national data authorities and large companies weaken GDPR enforcement.
• The ability of consumer groups to sue large firms for GDPR violations will rise.
• The European Ombudsman’s inquiry into the European Commission's monitoring of GDPR enforcement by Ireland may lead to common rules.