The evaluation by the European Commission and the adopted resolution by the European Parliament mark a starting point for improving the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation over the next years. This starting point coincides with a number of major European policy developments such as the Data Governance Act and the Data Act that will facilitate the availability and use of data in the European Digital Single Market.

These developments and the GDPR are inherently connected and will impact cities and the digital services they deliver. Eurocities and Living-in.eu organise this city dialogue to share cities’ experiences with the GDPR and open the floor to address local challenges with the European Data Protection Supervisor.

Programme

10:00 – 10:05     Welcome

                               Lodewijk Noordzij, Policy officer - Eurocities

10:05 – 10:15     Interview with Wim De Kinderen: KSF Lab, Citizen Card report & Living-in.eu

                               Wim De Kinderen, Programme Director European Affairs - Brainport Eindhoven

                               Lodewijk Noordzij, Policy officer - Eurocities

10:15 – 11:00     Cities experiences including Q&A

                               10:15 – 10:30     Daniel Sarasa Funes, Urban Innovation Planner and Smart City Programme Manager –
                                Zaragoza City Council

                               10:30 – 10:45     Anneke Born, Director Rotterdampas - Rotterdam

                               10:45 – 11:00     Thierry Courcet, Chief Digital Officer - Pau

11:00 – 11:15     European context and addressing GDPR challenges

                               Stefano Leucci, Legal and Technology Officer, European Data Protection Supervisor

11:15 – 11:25     Q & A

11:25 – 11:30     Closing

Context

In 2016, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced as a progressive and fundamental piece of law making to protect citizen’s interests in an increasingly digital age. Although the goals of the regulation are generally applauded and its effect on (corporate) privacy practices over the globe has been evident, the regulation itself is sometimes critically assessed and the implementation of the GDPR is known to cause challenges for organisations in various sectors.

The GDPR has also had a big impact on cities: complex organisations collecting, processing and storing personal data to deliver services to its citizens. Discussions with a handful of Eurocities’ KSF Lab members cities in preparation for the Citizen Card report highlighted several challenges related to digital identities, data and privacy for data-based citizen services and compliance with the GDPR.

The first evaluation of the GDPR by the European Commission last summer conveys the same image, and the recently published resolution on the GDPR by the European Parliament provides ample attention points.

This city dialogue seeks to further illuminate cities’ experiences with the GDPR with the regulation and, looking ahead, opens the floor to discuss practical challenges on the local level with the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS).