Austrian Privacy Chief Takes Key GDPR Role

Andrea Jelinek, current Head of the Austrian Data Protection Authority, is to preside over the EU's much-heralded GDPR legislation as its comes into force from May this year.

Jelinek (pictured) replaces France's Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin as head of the Article 29 Working Party, which brings together the data protection authorities of the 28 member states - Falque-Pierrotin has held the post for the last four years. The Working Party will morph into the rather grander European Data Protection Board when the laws are introduced from May 28th, and will be responsible for enforcing them.

The Financial Times (www.ft.com ) notes that 'Austria is among the EU countries with the toughest attitudes to personal privacy and with Germany is one of only two member states that have fully changed their national privacy laws ahead of the introduction of the GDPR'.