On Tuesday, the Sejm elected Mirosław Wróblewski as chairman of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data (UODO). Wróblewski was recommended for this position by the KO club, his opponent was Jakub Groszkowski, the current vice president of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data, recommended by PiS.
In the vote, Wróblewski was supported by 240 MPs, Groszkowski – 169. The decision of the Sejm must still be approved by the Senate.
The Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data is the central government body for the protection of personal data in Poland. By law, he is appointed by the Sejm for a term of four years with the consent of the Senate. In April 2019, Jan Nowak was appointed by the Sejm and accepted by the Senate as Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data. His term of office expired in May 2023. Since then, Parliament has not elected his successor and therefore Nowak continues to serve as chairman of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data.
The Data Protection Agency monitors the processing of personal data in Poland. The President of the Office has the power to submit applications for legislative initiatives or for the issuance or amendment of legal acts in the field of the protection of personal data. It may request the initiation of disciplinary proceedings or other proceedings provided for by law against persons who have committed infringements of the provisions on the protection of personal data.
The President of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data conducts proceedings in cases of violation of the provisions on the protection of personal data and can impose fines on entities required to comply with the GDPR.
Mirosław Wróblewski is currently Director of the Constitutional, International and European Law Team of the Office of the Ombudsman. He graduated in law and political science (specialization – international relations). He is the author of almost 50 articles and scientific publications in the field of constitutional, international and European law and the protection of human rights. In recent years he has prepared or contributed to the positions of the Commissioner for Human Rights and has represented the Commissioner for Human Rights in legal proceedings and before the Constitutional Court. Wróblewski was a member of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights from 2012 to 2017.
DAD
Source: wPolityce