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International Association of Privacy Professionals

IAPP

The IAPP is the world’s largest global and independent information privacy community.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Laurence De Richemont (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

27 Nov 2025 · Follow-up to IAPP Congress - Simplification

Meeting with Birgit Sippel (Member of the European Parliament) and noyb - European Center for Digital Rights

18 Nov 2025 · Digital Omnibus

Meeting with Maria Zafra Saura (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath)

13 Oct 2025 · Upcoming international conferences, simplification, data protection

Response to Apply AI Strategy

2 Jun 2025

We applaud the effort of the EU Commission to develop a strategy which will help provide necessary direction and prioritization for the ambitions outlined in the EU AI Act, the two coordinated plans on AI, and the AI Continent Action plan. We are pleased that each of these efforts, as well as the Call for Evidence for this consultation, have identified that increasing AI talent and literacy is a necessary component of unlocking the power and capabilities of AI. As one of the worlds largest professional associations in the digital governance domain, we have unique insights from individuals who are steering this work in organisations globally. With a comprehensive AI Governance Center in place, IAPP has had the privilege of working with companies of all types operating in and outside of the EU who are building, deploying, and using AI. As the timeline for compliance of the EU AI Act nears, many are now working through these requirements in detail, resulting in the urgent need for AI governance professionals. Beyond mitigating risks, these professionals are also needed to build the confidence that will ensure AI fulfills its potential to scale and serve society in positive and productive ways. Even as many thoughtful individuals rise to the task of responsibly governing AI, there remains a significant gap between the demand for such experts and the supply of qualified practitioners. Gaps and inconsistencies will remain until an organized profession is built at scale. When it is recognized by governments and international bodies and embedded within organisations, a professionalized workforce can play a powerful role in developing and implementing innovative compliance solutions and contributing to the effectiveness of rules in practice. Once established, with incentives aligned to spread adoption, the profession itself continues to standardize practices and rapidly respond to new risks and opportunities. Such a professionalized workforce takes responsible governance from theory to practice, in support of, but more nimbly than can be accomplished by regulation and enforcement alone. Avoiding a workforce gap is paramount. As an organisation who has served privacy professionals for the past twenty-five years, we have the privilege of observing firsthand the factors that shape growth of a new profession. Ten years ago, privacy was already a swiftly growing field due to decades of consensus on common principles. But nothing prepared us for the exponential growth in demand as digitalization spread across our economy and society, and as regulators began to require organisations to designate qualified professionals as responsible for meeting compliance obligations. Laws like the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (Art. 37) recognized the value of the professionalized privacy workforce and, in turn, ensured that the profession of privacy would continue to grow and mature to put principles and rules into practice. Regulators also recognized the importance of creating a culture inside the organisation so that principles would be embedded by design across operations. Earlier recognition of the need for professionalization, and care in fostering its proper growth, would no doubt have lessened this ongoing workforce gap and avoided the dynamic that transpired under GDPR, where organisations have continued to play catchup on compliance long after the law entered effect. Leveraging existing professionals is only a partial solution. AI governance, with its broader set of risks and equities at stake, similarly demands skilled and credentialed professionals to do the work. Building a firm foundation for this emerging profession now will help to avoid a workforce crisis in the coming years. Through a recent survey we conducted 30% of organisations are not yet using AI because they are working on developing a governance first approach. More information can be found in our 2025 AI Governance Professional report.
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Meeting with Egelyn Braun (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath), Maria Zafra Saura (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath)

22 May 2025 · Exchange of views on data protection and digital policy

Meeting with Aura Salla (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Jan 2025 · EU Digital Policy

Meeting with Birgit Sippel (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Nov 2023 · GDPR Harmonisation

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

19 Sept 2023 · Artificial Intelligence, Data protection

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

10 Nov 2022 · Data flows, GDPR

Meeting with Lucrezia Busa (Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders)

22 Sept 2020 · Preparatory meeting IAPP event

Meeting with Geneviève Tuts (Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders), Lucrezia Busa (Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders)

23 Jan 2020 · General presentation of the activities of the Group

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager)

23 Jan 2020 · Data protection

Meeting with Kevin O'Connell (Cabinet of Commissioner Věra Jourová)

21 Oct 2015 · GDPR

Meeting with Laure Chapuis-Kombos (Cabinet of Vice-President Andrus Ansip)

21 Sept 2015 · Discussion on data privacy, big data and international dada flows