Six months without a new EDPS, no signs of a breakthrough

An article by Euronews reports that six months after its mandate expired, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) role remains vacant, with lawmakers and national governments unable to agree on a successor to Wojciech Wiewiórowski. The selection process has faced significant delays, with hearings pushed back and a subsequent failure to reach a consensus between the European Parliament and member states on a candidate.

The Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) has backed Bruno Gencarelli, a long-time European Commission official from Italy, while member states support Wiewiórowski for another term. However, the Centre for AI & Digital Humanism and privacy academics expressed their concerns about Gencarelli, arguing that appointing a former Commission official would violate the EDPS's constitutional independence and undermine the EU's system of checks and balances. Historically, the EDPS position has always been held by individuals with backgrounds in national supervisory authorities rather than by former Commission officials. The impasse means the decision is no closer to being taken, with no further meetings convened by the special working group established to resolve the disagreement.