The Article 29 Working Party was the pan-EU body responsible for coordinating data protection guidance and policy at the European level. It consisted of representatives from the national supervisory authorities (i.e., the data protection regulators in each member state), as well as representatives of the EU bodies and the European Commission. Although it had secretarial support from the Commission, its guidance was devised independently and did not officially represent the position of the European Commission.
The A29WP, launched in 1996, ceased to exist as of 25 May 2018, when the GDPR came into force. It has now been replaced by the (very similar) European Data Protection Board (EDPB). The guidance, or ‘Opinions’, p. 22of the A29WP remains influential, and an important means of coordinating interpretation of data protection law across the EU. Many of these Opinions have been publicly endorsed by the EDPB, although the Opinions of the A29WP are not legally binding.
Further reading:
European Commission, 2023. Article 29 Working Party. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/article29/items/itemType/1358.
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European Commission, 2023. Article 29 Working Party. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/article29/items/itemType/1358.
