Replacing the outgoing chair, Andrea Jelinek, Talus was voted into office in a two-round election, securing 19 votes out of the 27 cast. She will retain her current role at the Finnish DPA, juggling both responsibilities.
“I am honoured and grateful to be elected EDPB Chair and I see it as a token of appreciation by my fellow heads of DPA,” Talus said in her acceptance speech. She further emphasised the need for data protection coherence across the EU, insisting that the evolving digital legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) should intersect without ambiguity, to the benefit of both private individuals and economic entities.
Andrea Jelinek, in her farewell address, applauded the election outcome, stating her confidence that Talus’s expertise would serve the board well. She also reiterated the far-reaching global influence of the GDPR, highlighting the important work ahead for the new chair.
Per Article 73 of the GDPR, the EDPB elected Irene Loizidou Nikolaidou, from the Cyprus DPA, as a new Deputy Chair, replacing Ventsislav Karadjov. The term for current Deputy Chair Aleid Wolfsen from the Netherlands is set to conclude next year, on May 15, 2024.
The EDPB, an independent body, plays a vital role in applying data protection rules uniformly throughout the European Union, in addition to fostering cooperation among the EU’s data protection authorities. The EDPB Secretariat, under the guidance of the Chair, provides essential analytical, administrative, and logistical support to the Board.
With increasing global attention on data privacy issues, the appointment of Anu Talus as Chair promises to bring fresh direction to the EDPB’s critical role in shaping Europe’s data protection landscape.
