> The European Commission on Friday took a further step in its infringement proceedings against Belgium regarding the independence of the Data Protection Authority (DPA). Belgium has not responded to the questions raised and the members concerned are still in office, the Commission said.
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> The Commission launched the procedure in June because it felt that the independence of the DPA was not guaranteed. It considered that some members were not “free from external influence” because they “either had to report to a management committee dependent on the Belgian government, or were involved in government projects for covid contact tracing, or were members of the Committee for the Security of Information. It was later disclosed that senior civil servant Frank Robben in particular would be targeted.
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> The Commission had given Belgium two months to respond, but the response left the EU executive office disappointed. “Belgium’s response did not address the issues raised in the letter of formal notice and the members concerned remained in their posts,” it noted in a press release on Friday.
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> By sending a reasoned opinion, the Commission has taken a further step in the infringement procedure. Belgium has been given a further two months to take appropriate action. If Belgium fails to do so, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.
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Translation (thanks Deepl!)
> The European Commission on Friday took a further step in its infringement proceedings against Belgium regarding the independence of the Data Protection Authority (DPA). Belgium has not responded to the questions raised and the members concerned are still in office, the Commission said.
>
> The Commission launched the procedure in June because it felt that the independence of the DPA was not guaranteed. It considered that some members were not “free from external influence” because they “either had to report to a management committee dependent on the Belgian government, or were involved in government projects for covid contact tracing, or were members of the Committee for the Security of Information. It was later disclosed that senior civil servant Frank Robben in particular would be targeted.
>
> The Commission had given Belgium two months to respond, but the response left the EU executive office disappointed. “Belgium’s response did not address the issues raised in the letter of formal notice and the members concerned remained in their posts,” it noted in a press release on Friday.
>
> By sending a reasoned opinion, the Commission has taken a further step in the infringement procedure. Belgium has been given a further two months to take appropriate action. If Belgium fails to do so, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.