Global Privacy Assembly
For more than four decades the Global Privacy Assembly has been the primary forum and meeting place for data protection authorities, commissioners and other data protection and privacy services from across the globe. It was known as the “International Conference of Data Protection Authorities and Commissioners” (from 1979 to 2019) and now, from the 41st International Summit of 2019 and on, as the “Global Privacy Assembly for Data Protection”.
The Global Privacy Assembly is held every year in a different country. Its organization is undertaken by the national data protection authority. The Hellenic Data Protection Authority participates in these assemblies.
The Assembly has a seven-member governance body. The Executive Committee comprises an elected Chair, four elected members and, in an ex officio capacity, the hosts of the previous and next conferences. The host of the next conference acts as an invited Observer to the Committee’s activities.
The Global Privacy Assembly’s mission is to be a global forum, which contributes significantly to the dissemination of knowledge and the connection of data protection authorities in order to promote protection of personal data and privacy.
More information on the assemblies and the texts of the declarations-resolutions adopted are available here.
The European Conference of Data Protection Authorities
The European Conference of Data Protection Authorities takes place every spring. It is a closed meeting in the sense that only certified data protection commissioners are eligible to participate, i.e. the authorities of the EU and other countries such as Switzerland and Norway, the European Data Protection Supervisor, the Joint Supervisors of Europol, Eurojust, Customs, representatives of the EU, the Council of Europe, and authorities certified as permanent observers. However, representatives of the EU, the Council of Europe and the authorities with permanent observer status do not have the right to vote.
The Hellenic Data Protection Authority participates in the European Conference every year, and had organized the Conference of 2001 in Athens.
More information about the European Conference is available here.
International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (IWGDPT)
The International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunication (IWGDPT), also known as the “Berlin Group”, was established in 1983 as part of the International Conference of Data Protection Authorities and Commissioners (now Global Privacy Assembly) as an initiative of the Berlin Data Protection Commissioner. The members of the Group are representatives of all data protection authorities, as well as other bodies, national or international organizations and scientists from around the world. The group meets twice a year. Its secretariat is provided by the Berlin Data Protection Commissioner.
Since 1983, the Group has adopted numerous recommendations (common positions - working papers) in order to improve the protection of privacy in telecommunications. Since the early 1990s it has been particularly concerned with the protection of personal data on the Internet. Some of the topics that the Group has been occupied with are search engines (e.g. Google), data retention in the Whois database, RFID, electronic ticketing systems on public transport, digital television, etc.
Working Group on the exchange of experiences from examining cases related to personal data protection (Case handling workshop)
Representatives of national data protection authorities of the Member States of the European Union, the European Economic Area and other European countries set up the “Working Group on the exchange of experiences from examining cases related to personal data protection (Case handling workshop)”, as part of their regular communication and cooperation tasks, and meet once a year.
During the meeting, the representatives exchange views and experiences on specific current issues that concern the Data Protection Authorities and compare the various national laws, in order to promote a more harmonized and coordinated approach to data protection issues.
The work of this Group is important, given that the consistent implementation of the GDPR and the mandatory cooperation between the authorities is required, at European Union and European Economic Area level.
