Competence of the National Data Protection Supervisory Authority to hear complaints under the General Data Protection Regulation made as a result of the activities of a parliamentary committee of enquiry Commentary to Judgment C-33/22 of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 16 January 2024

Abstract

The Court of Justice, sitting in a Grand Chamber, has given a judicial decision as a preliminary ruling requested by the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) on an appeal brought by the Austrian Data Protection Authority against a decision of the Austrian Federal Administrative Court.

The judgment states that the activity of a parliamentary committee of enquiry falls within the scope of application of the General Data Protection Regulation, and that the National Supervisory Authority, as the only national authority, is competent to hear complaints concerning the processing of personal data by a committee of enquiry in the context of its parliamentary activities.