Data Protection Certification in the EU: Possibilities, Actors and Building Blocks in a reformed landscape

Certification and seals as a form of co-regulation have been on the EU agenda for over a decade. Enhancing consumer trust and promoting transparency and compliance are central arguments in the policy endorsement for certification. In the field of data protection, the General Data Protection Regulation has substanti- ated considerably these policy objectives of the European Commission. Our con- tribution discusses the new legal EU regime for data protection certification. Starting from the background of data protection certification and the preparatory works of the General Data Protection Regulation, the chapter analyses the legal provisions in the new EU data protection framework and reflects on the steps after the Regulation starts to apply.