28 January 2025
8:30 - 18:30
European Commission's
Charlemagne building,
Rue de la Loi 170, 1040 Brussels,
Belgium
In-person and online
About CPDP Data Protection day
To mark Data Protection Day (28 January), the Council of Europe (CoE), CPDP Conferences and
the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) are co-organising a one-day event focused on
exploring the current and future landscape of data protection.
The CPDP - Data Protection Day event takes place on 28 January as a celebration of the
opening for signature in 1981 of Convention 108, the first legally binding international
instrument to protect privacy in the digital age. While celebrating this historical
milestone, this conference serves as a platform for discussing the challenges and
opportunities that arise when emerging technologies and privacy risks intersect on one
hand, and those that arise when innovation meets regulatory frameworks.
The programme
A new mandate for data protection
CPDP - Data Protection Day arrives at a pivotal moment, as new EU political mandates begin
to shape the policy landscape, with the recent election of the European Parliament and
subsequent appointment of a new European Commission. These changes also coincide with the
new mandates of the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights and the European
Data Protection Supervisor.
At the same time, new technological developments in areas such as Artificial Intelligence
and neuroscience bring new challenges to the right to the protection of personal data and
other fundamental rights. Reccurent challenges, such as access to data for law enforcement
and national security purposes, remain high on the political agenda.
During the 2025 edition of CPDP - Data Protection Day we invite participants to reflect on
and discuss the evolving mandate of data protection, particularly its essential role as
safeguard of our democratic society against excessive intrusions in citizens' privacy by
public or private actors.
| TIME | TOPIC | ROOM |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:30 | REGISTRATION AND WELCOME COFFEE | Reception Area - 2 floor |
| 09:30 – 09:45 | Opening Remarks | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 09:45 – 10:30 | Organisers’ Panel - Data Protection Day: What to celebrate? | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | COFFEE BREAK | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Main Session 1 - EU Institutions and data protection: what lies ahead? | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Main Session 2 - What’s in your mind? Neuroscience and data protection | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | LUNCH BREAK | Reception Area - 2 floor |
| 14:00 – 15:15 | Side Session 1 - Access to data: balancing between effective law enforcement and mass surveillance | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 14:00 – 15:15 | Side Session 2 - Beyond Privacy: unveiling the true stakes of data protection | Jenkins Room - 0 floor |
| 14:00 – 15:15 | Side Session 3 - Trainees event | Mansholt Room - 0 floor |
| 15:15 – 15:45 | COFFEE BREAK | Reception Area - 2 floor |
| 15:45 – 16:45 | Main session 3 - Forging the Future: reinventing data protection | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Closing Remarks by the Polish Presidency of the EU Council | De Gasperi Room - 2 floor |
| 17:00 – 18:30 | FAREWELL RECEPTION | Reception Area - 2 floor |
| 18:00 – 22:00 | SPECIAL EVENT - Data Protection Day celebrations organised by the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU. A separate registration is mandatory. | Rue Stevin 139 1000 Brussels |
Testimonials
Wojciech Wiewiórowski
European Data Protection Supervisor
“This Conference is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Data Protection Day on 28 January, as it has been the case for so many years under the CPDP brand.”
Paul De Hert
Vrije Universiteit Brussel LSTS (BE) & Tilburg University TILT (NL)
“Radbruch in 1945 wrote that the three values of the law—public benefit, legal certainty, and justice—are not always united harmoniously in laws. Let us come together to discuss the validity of current policy proposals to find that harmony.”
Organisers
