The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), the Italian Giovanni Buttarelli, died on Tuesday night, 20 August, at the age of 62. The Assistant Supervisor, Wojciech Wiewiórowski, will hold the position until the end of his mandate in December, his office said on Wednesday, August 21.
On Wednesday, on Twitter, the European institutions, several MEPs and data protection organisations paid tribute to him and called it "a sad day for Europe and for data protection".
"His life-long work, including his contribution to the development of the General Data Protection Regulation, has cemented Europe's place in the world as a global leader on data protection", said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in a statement.
Before joining the EDPS, Mr Buttarelli was Secretary General of the Italian Data Protection Authority from 1997 to 2009. From January 2009 to December 2014, he was Assistant Supervisor, before being appointed EDPS on 4 December 2014 by a joint European Parliament and EU Council decision (see EUROPE 11212/16).
With his mandate set to expire on 4 December 2019, the European Commission had already launched, in April, the selection process for his successor (see EUROPE 12236/6). (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)