MEPs in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs ranked the four candidates applying for the position of European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) in a secret ballot.

Bruno Gencarelli was selected as the top candidate with 32 votes;

François Pellegrini received 30 votes;

Wojciech Wiewiórowski received 26 votes;

and Anna Pouliou received 11 votes.

Before the vote, MEPs held a hearing with the candidates to evaluate their suitability for the role, touching on the interplay between security and fundamental rights, including data retention and law enforcement questions; prioritisation and consistency after the EDPS’s tasks have been expanded; and the impact of new technologies.

You can re-watch the hearing here and find more information, including answers to written questions, here.

Next steps

The Civil Liberties Committee Chair will convey the outcome of the vote to the Conference of Presidents (EP President and the leaders of the political groups). Following their…