GDPR: European Data Protection Board Adopts Final Guidelines On Derogations Under Art. 49 And Draft Guidelines On Certification Under Art. 42

The European Data Protection Board ("EDPB") held its first plenary meeting on May 25, 2018, the same day the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") came into force. 

The EDPB replaces the Article 29 Working Party, which was an advisory body made up of the various data protection authorities under the prior European Union ("EU") data protection law. The EDPB is an independent European body composed of representatives of the national supervisory authorities of each EU member state and the European Data Protection Supervisor ("EDPS"). Its mission is to ensure the consistent application of EU privacy laws and to provide relevant guidance and direction in the area. 

As one of its first orders of business during its first meeting, the EDPB adopted guidelines on two separate topics under the GDPR: (1) final Guidelines 2/2018, which address derogations to transferring personal data outside of the EU under Article 49 of the GDPR ("Guidelines on Article 49