Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On March 21-22, 2013, the data protection authorities (“DPAs”) of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Riga, Latvia, for their second annual meeting to discuss several practical cooperation matters regarding data protection.

The Estonian DPA (Andmekaitse Inspektsioon) announced that the focus for their joint supervision in 2013 will be on the gambling sector. The DPAs also discussed the results of the 2012 Schengen evaluation process (on which they all received positive feedback), and shared their thoughts and concerns on the EU data protection reform package. The Baltic states agreed to cooperate more closely on the reform issue and articulated their common positions. The Estonian DPA previously has voiced concerns with the proposed reform package, particularly with respect to potential overregulation and increased administrative burdens.

In previous years, the DPAs jointly have audited the Stockmann department stores and Radisson Blu branded hotels. It is expected that the cooperation between the Baltic DPAs will continue. Their next annual meeting will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2014.