What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Digitalisation, cybersecurity and data protection

Change 20

Changed:33.38. Notes that the 2022 budget for IT equipment and projects was 21%21 % higher compared to 2021; notes that this information has to be assessed against the background that the 2021 budget for IT was itself 20%20 % higher compared to the 2020 budget;

39. Notes that, in 2022, the EDPS surveyed the IT strategies of several EUIs in the framework of a large IT feasibility study, which served as a basis for defining the EDPS IT strategy for the coming years; calls on the EDPS to keep the discharge authority informed of the outcome of this analysis and its impact on resources;

40. Notes that Parliament provides IT equipment and services to the EDPS, as its corporate services provider; welcomes the EDPS’ efforts to continuously improve its digital workspace in terms of effectiveness and security beyond what is provided by Parliament; notes that this has involved improving the quality and performance of the computers provided to the EDPS staff, in collaboration with Parliament, in view of the generalisation of hybrid work;

41. Acknowledges the leading role of the EDPS in enhancing the cybersecurity preparedness of the EUIs; notes that, in 2022, the EDPS continued to improve its readiness to protect personal data and sensitive information against cyber-attacks in view of the fast changing cybersecurity threat landscape; congratulates the EDPS for reviewing its security policies and methodologies and adapting its cybersecurity contractual requirements in line with the CERT-EU guidance, ahead of the entry into force of the EU cybersecurity act, to the benefit of all institutions; notes that the EDPS did not encounter any cyber-attack in 2022;

Change 21

Changed:37.42. CongratulatesNotes thethat EDPS foris piloting and developing innovative and privacy-friendly open source IT solutions, such as the Pilot Nextcloud software or its new video conferencing facilities aiming to cope with the generalisation of hybrid meetings while enhancingsolutions; collaboration;believes encouragesthat the EDPS toshould share those experiences with the other EUIs;

Change 22

Added:43. Welcomes the follow-up actions by the EDPS on the Schrems II judgement, especially focusing on the EUIs’ contracts with private entities in 2022, in particular large ICT providers, and on arrangements between EUIs and non-EU/EEA public bodies or international organisations;

5 unchanged paragraphs

Buildings

44. Notes that, in 2022, the EDPS and EDPB were the sole tenants of Parliament’s building where they were located, following the move of the Ombudsman at the end of 2021; notes that, following this move, three floors of the building were entirely refurbished in order to accommodate the EDPS and EDPB staff and adapt the premises to the new working conditions prevailing after the COVID-19 pandemic;

45. Notes that, in terms of accessibility to its building, the EDPS relies on the decisions taken and implemented by Parliament, as part of their building policy; calls on the EDPS to advocate for the need to focus on the needs of persons with reduced mobility or disabilities and to inform the discharge authority of any new decision taken in this respect;

Environment and sustainability

46. Notes that the EDPS has not joined the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) but has implemented several measures to reduce its environmental footprint, such as the reduction of paper following the digitalisation of HR processes or waste recycling; notes that, in terms of environmental infrastructures, no solar panels were installed on the building rented by Parliament; calls on the EDPS to inform the discharge authority of any new decision to install solar panels on its building;

Change 23

Changed:41.47. Welcomes that the EDPS continues to promote sustainable mobility of its staff by reimbursing 50%50 % of monthly/annual subscriptions for the use of public transport and by allocating sufficient space in its garage facilities for staff to park their bikes;

6 unchanged paragraphs

Interinstitutional cooperation

48. Welcomes the budgetary and administrative savings achieved through inter-institutional cooperation, notably the conclusion of service-level agreements with t Parliament for the rental of its premises and the use of its IT system applications, hardware supplies and maintenance, and with the Commission for ICT services;

49. Notes that the EDPS cooperates closely, albeit informally, with OLAF, the EPPO and the Court, to whom it provides advice on specific projects and questions, complementary to its supervisory role; welcomes, in particular, the regular dialogue with the EPPO, as a newly created institution, in 2022; welcomes that the EDPS has a more structured cooperation with the Ombudsman through a memorandum of understanding aiming to define the arrangements for their cooperation at the level of complaint handling;

50. Notes that interinstitutional cooperation with the EDPS, in its supervisory role, is key for the other EUIs to enhance their level of compliance with the data protection legal framework; congratulates the EDPS for taking the lead in awarding an inter-institutional contract for the provision of Nextcloud services to the signatory EUIs;

51. Welcomes the pivotal role played by the EDPS in 2022 in the coordination of the Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) of the Member States represented in the EDPB to promote consistent data protection across the Union; notes that EDPS participated in the 2022 coordinated enforcement action of the EDPB on the use of cloud services in the Union, the purpose of which was to share knowledge and good practices between the EDPS, EUIs and DPAs;

Communication

Change 24

Changed:46.52. Notes that the budget for public communication and promotional activities in 2022 amounted to EUR 304 665, which represented an increase of 19%19 % compared to 2021; welcomes the comprehensive communication strategy aiming to raise awareness about its role and the importance of respecting Union data protection rules, targeting the EUIs, EU data protection experts as well as the general public;

53. Notes with satisfaction that the EDPS organised several communication events in hybrid mode in 2022, notably a major international conference on “The future of data protection: effective enforcement in the digital world” with the participation of more than 2000 participants, both in-person and remotely;

54. Notes that the EDPS communicates online via its website and its social media accounts on X (ex-twitter) (29,100 followers), LinkedIn (63,000 followers), YouTube (275,000 followers), EU-Voice (5,100 followers) and EU-Video (690 followers); notes that the EDPS launched several social media campaigns in 2022, targeted towards promoting particular initiatives or carried out in partnership with other EUIs in order to increase outreach and keep its audience well-informed about its activities;

Change 25

Changed:49.55. AcknowledgesNotes the leading role of EDPS in piloting and promoting social media channels contributing to the Union’s strategy for data and digital sovereignty in compliance with the data protection legal framework; congratulates the EDPS for launching a pilot project aiming to bring EUIs on EU-Voice and EU-Video, which are two free, open-source social media networks, based on Mastodon software, allowing EUIs to interact with the public by sharing texts, images, videos and podcasts; congratulates the EDPS for organising, in 2022, training courses for EUIs on the use of social media in compliance with EU data protection rules and best practices.

Change 26

Added:56. Reiterates its support for the EDPS efforts to monitor, and explain to the wider public, emerging developments in technology and their potential impact on data protection and privacy, through the TechDispatch and TechSonar reports for example; further encourages the EDPS to increase its capacities in the field of technology monitoring and launch information campaigns on its findings and recommendations.