The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is an independent supervisory authority appointed by a joint decision of the European Parliament and the Council for a term of five years, on the basis of a list drawn up by the Commission following a public call for candidates (see Article 42 (1) of Regulation (EC) 45/2991) with the role of protecting personal data and privacy within the EU and promoting good practice in the EU institutions and bodies. The EDPS monitors the EU administration's processing of personal data, advises the European Commission, Parliament and Council on policies and proposed legislation with a data protection impact, and cooperates with other data protection authorities to ensure consistent data protection throughout the EU.
The EDPS has published a strategy for 2013-14 entitled "Towards excellence in data protection". The report explains the work and strategy of the EDPS and presents five strategic objectives for 2013-14. The objectives are as follows:
- Promote a "data protection culture" within the EU institutions and bodies so that they are aware of their obligations and accountable for complying with data protection requirements.
- Ensure that the EU legislator (the European Commission, Parliament and Council) is aware of data protection requirements and integrates data protection into new legislation.
- Improve cooperation with national data protection authorities and the Article 29 Working Group (the main EU platform for cooperation with national authorities) to ensure greater consistency of data protection in the EU.
- Develop a creative and effective communications strategy.
- Improve the use of EDPS' human, financial, technical and organisational resources.
The report concludes with a list of performance indicators to measure the EDPS' success in achieving these objectives.
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