On 9 April 2024, the European Data Protection Supervisor presented its Annual Report 2023. The Report looks back to the EDPS' activities in 2023 with regard to "supervision and enforcement", "policy and consultation", and "technology and privacy".

When presenting the report on 9 April before the EP's LIBE Committee, EDPS Wojciech Wiewiórowski highlighted the EDPS's work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The EDPS steered legislation, e.g., the AI Act (→ eucrim 4/2023, 316-317), particularly bringing in pleas for a human-centric approach to AI and compliance of AI regulation with the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection. The EDPS has also been active in promoting the EU values and principles on AI and related data protection issues at the global level.

In the field of home affairs, the EDPS took a critical stance on the proposed Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse Material (→ eucrim 2/2022, 91-92), which plans for the scanning of communication on a large scale that may lead to the surveillance of society in an irrevocable way. Matters in the area of freedom, security and justice were also at the centre of the EDPS' supervisory powers over EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies . In 2023, the EDPS notably focused on:

• Preparing for the supervision of the interoperability framework;
• Reinforcing cooperation between the EDPS and national data protection authorities, which included the coordination of supervisory actions;
• Scrutinising the processing of personal data by Frontex from debriefing reports in the context of joint operations;
• Assessing Europol’s processing of biometric data;
• Monitoring new ways of cooperation between Europol and EU Member States in the production of operational analysis;
• Providing advice on the setting up of new systems to process operational personal data by Eurojust (war crime module) and the EPPO (new environment to conduct operational analysis).

Looking ahead, the EDPS emphasised that further resources were invested in technology monitoring and innovation. The EDPS also highlighted that the year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the institution. Celebrations of the anniversary will be based on four key pillars:

• A book and a timeline that analyses key data protection milestones and the EDPS’ influence and history in this remit over the last two decades;
• 20 talks with leading voices from around the world who share their unique perspective on how data protection and privacy shape their respective fields;
• 20 initiatives aimed at further emboldening individuals’ fundamental rights;
• The European Data Protection Summit - Rethinking Data in a Democratic Society, taking place on 20 June 2024, in Brussels, Belgium.

In conclusion, the report points out that the EDPS is a forward-looking data protection authority, which must anticipate the challenges and opportunities ahead in order to equip itself with enforceable regulatory tools that protect individuals’ personal data in an era that shapes the digital world of people, businesses and governments.