EDPB Releases 2024 Report on GDPR Enforcement and Strategy
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has released its 2024 Annual Report, highlighting significant progress in data protection across Europe. The report details the adoption of the new 2024-2027 strategy, which focuses on modernizing data protection, ensuring consistent enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and addressing emerging challenges. The strategy also aims to strengthen the EDPB’s role in global data protection discussions and cooperation.
In 2024, the EDPB increased its activity in issuing consistency opinions under Article 64(2) GDPR, adopting eight opinions on important topics such as consent models used by online platforms, facial recognition at airports, and the use of personal data for training artificial intelligence (AI) models. These opinions help ensure a uniform application of the GDPR before enforcement actions take place. The Board also provided guidance on GDPR compliance through four new guidelines, including those focused on legitimate interest and data transfers to third countries.
The EDPB maintained active engagement with stakeholders, including regulators, industry representatives, civil society, and academia. It launched public consultations on its guidelines and organized events to discuss new topics such as “Consent or Pay” models and AI-related data protection issues. This open dialogue supports better understanding and implementation of data protection rules across different sectors.
To make the GDPR more accessible, the EDPB expanded its outreach by translating the Data Protection Guide for Small Business into 18 languages and creating summary documents for non-expert audiences. Additionally, the Board contributed to cross-regulatory cooperation with other digital legislation frameworks, such as the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, AI Act, Data Governance Act, and Data Act, ensuring consistent application of data protection principles across these laws.
