Ms Nicola Coogan:

The Commission has asked for the opinion by 19 April. The agreed practice under the GDPR is that it gives us two months. We are working towards that and a number of subgroups of the EDPB are working on drafting the opinion. We held our first meeting only last week, so many discussions and assessments are still taking place and drafting teams are being formed to go through each clause and to determine whether there is anything we need to comment on. The practice, as has happened before, is that the opinion will be expressed and we will have commentary on certain elements whereby we might ask for wording changes or clarifications or suggest different wording where we think it could be clearer. We are happy enough with the wording but we may give a comment on whether we agree with the assessment of the Commission. Without pre-empting what will be said, that is the way it will happen.

The EDBP opinion will probably be published in advance of that deadline of 19 April, if at all possible, and that is what we are working towards. Then it can go on to the next stage, which is comitology with the member states and the Commission. Hopefully, it will all be wrapped up before the end of June.