Bodobalazs: 1 revision imported: GDPRHUB import 2023 04 18

2023-04-18T15:01:43Z

1 revision imported: GDPRHUB import 2023 04 18

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![[Article 85 GDPR|←]] Article 86 - Processing and public access to official documents [[Article 87 GDPR|→]]
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<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 1: General provisions</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 1 GDPR|Article 1: Subject-matter and objectives]]<br />
[[Article 2 GDPR|Article 2: Material scope]]<br />
[[Article 3 GDPR|Article 3: Territorial scope]]<br />
[[Article 4 GDPR|Article 4: Definitions]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 2: Principles</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 5 GDPR|Article 5: Principles relating to processing of personal data]]<br />
[[Article 6 GDPR|Article 6: Lawfulness of processing]]<br />
[[Article 7 GDPR|Article 7: Conditions for consent]]<br />
[[Article 8 GDPR|Article 8: Conditions applicable to child’s consent in relation to information society services]]<br />
[[Article 9 GDPR|Article 9: Processing of special categories of personal data]]<br />
[[Article 10 GDPR|Article 10: Processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences]]<br />
[[Article 11 GDPR|Article 11: Processing which does not require identification]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 3: Rights of the data subject</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 12 GDPR|Article 12: Transparent information, communication and modalities for the exercise of the rights of the data subject]]<br />
[[Article 13 GDPR|Article 13: Information to be provided where personal data are collected from the data subject]]<br />
[[Article 14 GDPR|Article 14: Information to be provided where personal data have not been obtained from the data subject]]<br />
[[Article 15 GDPR|Article 15: Right of access by the data subject]]<br />
[[Article 16 GDPR|Article 16: Right to rectification]]<br />
[[Article 17 GDPR|Article 17: Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’)]]<br />
[[Article 18 GDPR|Article 18: Right to restriction of processing]]<br />
[[Article 19 GDPR|Article 19: Notification obligation regarding rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing]]<br />
[[Article 20 GDPR|Article 20: Right to data portability]]<br />
[[Article 21 GDPR|Article 21: Right to object]]<br />
[[Article 22 GDPR|Article 22: Automated individual decision-making, including profiling]]<br />
[[Article 23 GDPR|Article 23: Restrictions]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 4: Controller and processor</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 24 GDPR|Article 24: Responsibility of the controller]]<br />
[[Article 25 GDPR|Article 25: Data protection by design and by default]]<br />
[[Article 26 GDPR|Article 26: Joint controllers]]<br />
[[Article 27 GDPR|Article 27: Representatives of controllers or processors not established in the Union]]<br />
[[Article 28 GDPR|Article 28: Processor]]<br />
[[Article 29 GDPR|Article 29: Processing under the authority of the controller or processor]]<br />
[[Article 30 GDPR|Article 30: Records of processing activities]]<br />
[[Article 31 GDPR|Article 31: Cooperation with the supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 32 GDPR|Article 32: Security of processing]]<br />
[[Article 33 GDPR|Article 33: Notification of a personal data breach to the supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 34 GDPR|Article 34: Communication of a personal data breach to the data subject]]<br />
[[Article 35 GDPR|Article 35: Data protection impact assessment]]<br />
[[Article 36 GDPR|Article 36: Prior consultation]]<br />
[[Article 37 GDPR|Article 37: Designation of the data protection officer]]<br />
[[Article 38 GDPR|Article 38: Position of the data protection officer]]<br />
[[Article 39 GDPR|Article 39: Tasks of the data protection officer]]<br />
[[Article 40 GDPR|Article 40: Codes of conduct]]<br />
[[Article 41 GDPR|Article 41: Monitoring of approved codes of conduct]]<br />
[[Article 42 GDPR|Article 42: Certification]]<br />
[[Article 43 GDPR|Article 43: Certification bodies]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 5: Transfers of personal data</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 44 GDPR|Article 44: General principle for transfers]]<br />
[[Article 45 GDPR|Article 45: Transfers on the basis of an adequacy decision]]<br />
[[Article 46 GDPR|Article 46: Transfers subject to appropriate safeguards]]<br />
[[Article 47 GDPR|Article 47: Binding corporate rules]]<br />
[[Article 48 GDPR|Article 48: Transfers or disclosures not authorised by Union law]]<br />
[[Article 49 GDPR|Article 49: Derogations for specific situations]]<br />
[[Article 50 GDPR|Article 50: International cooperation for the protection of personal data]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 6: Supervisory authorities</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 51 GDPR|Article 51: Supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 52 GDPR|Article 52: Independence]]<br />
[[Article 53 GDPR|Article 53: General conditions for the members of the supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 54 GDPR|Article 54: Rules on the establishment of the supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 55 GDPR|Article 55: Competence]]<br />
[[Article 56 GDPR|Article 56: Competence of the lead supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 57 GDPR|Article 57: Tasks]]<br />
[[Article 58 GDPR|Article 58: Powers]]<br />
[[Article 59 GDPR|Article 59: Activity reports]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 7: Cooperation and consistency</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 60 GDPR|Article 60: Cooperation between the lead supervisory authority and the other supervisory authorities concerned]]<br />
[[Article 61 GDPR|Article 61: Mutual assistance]]<br />
[[Article 62 GDPR|Article 62: Joint operations of supervisory authorities]]<br />
[[Article 63 GDPR|Article 63: Consistency mechanism]]<br />
[[Article 64 GDPR|Article 64: Opinion of the Board]]<br />
[[Article 65 GDPR|Article 65: Dispute resolution by the Board]]<br />
[[Article 66 GDPR|Article 66: Urgency procedure]]<br />
[[Article 67 GDPR|Article 67: Exchange of information]]<br />
[[Article 68 GDPR|Article 68: European Data Protection Board]]<br />
[[Article 69 GDPR|Article 69: Independence]]<br />
[[Article 70 GDPR|Article 70: Tasks of the Board]]<br />
[[Article 71 GDPR|Article 71: Reports]]<br />
[[Article 72 GDPR|Article 72: Procedure]]<br />
[[Article 73 GDPR|Article 73: Chair]]<br />
[[Article 74 GDPR|Article 74: Tasks of the Chair]]<br />
[[Article 75 GDPR|Article 75: Secretariat]]<br />
[[Article 76 GDPR|Article 76: Confidentiality]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 8: Remedies, liability and penalties</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 77 GDPR|Article 77: Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 78 GDPR|Article 78: Right to an effective judicial remedy against a supervisory authority]]<br />
[[Article 79 GDPR|Article 79: Right to an effective judicial remedy against a controller or processor]]<br />
[[Article 80 GDPR|Article 80: Representation of data subjects]]<br />
[[Article 81 GDPR|Article 81: Suspension of proceedings]]<br />
[[Article 82 GDPR|Article 82: Right to compensation and liability]]<br />
[[Article 83 GDPR|Article 83: General conditions for imposing administrative fines]]<br />
[[Article 84 GDPR|Article 84: Penalties]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 9: Specific processing situations</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 85 GDPR|Article 85: Processing and freedom of expression and information]]<br />
[[Article 86 GDPR|Article 86: Processing and public access to official documents]]<br />
[[Article 87 GDPR|Article 87: Processing of the national identification number]]<br />
[[Article 88 GDPR|Article 88: Processing in the context of employment]]<br />
[[Article 89 GDPR|Article 89: Safeguards and derogations relating to processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes]]<br />
[[Article 90 GDPR|Article 90: Obligations of secrecy]]<br />
[[Article 91 GDPR|Article 91: Existing data protection rules of churches and religious associations]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 10: Delegated and implementing acts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 92 GDPR|Article 92: Exercise of the delegation]]<br />
[[Article 93 GDPR|Article 93: Committee procedure]]<br />
</small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" overflow:auto;" style="border-width: 0px">
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Chapter 11: Final provisions</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<small>
[[Article 94 GDPR|Article 94: Repeal of Directive 95: /46: /EC]]<br />
[[Article 95 GDPR|Article 95: Relationship with Directive 20: 02: /58: /EC]]<br />
[[Article 96 GDPR|Article 96: Relationship with previously concluded Agreements]]<br />
[[Article 97 GDPR|Article 97: Commission reports]]<br />
[[Article 98 GDPR|Article 98: Review of other Union legal acts on data protection]]<br />
[[Article 99 GDPR|Article 99: Entry into force and application]]<br />
</small>
</div>
</div>
|}

== Legal Text ==
<br /><center>'''Article 86 - Processing and public access to official documents'''</center>

Personal data in official documents held by a public authority or a public body or a private body for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest may be disclosed by the authority or body in accordance with Union or Member State law to which the public authority or body is subject in order to reconcile public access to official documents with the right to the protection of personal data pursuant to this Regulation.

== Relevant Recitals==
{{Recital/4 GDPR}} {{Recital/154 GDPR}}

== Commentary ==
Transparency is essential to ensure the accountability of EU and national public institutions. Access to official documents is therefore recognised as a fundamental right under Article 42 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, as well as in the constitutions of many Member States. However, this right is not absolute. Under Article 86, it can be limited, ''inter alia'', to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of other individuals, including the right to privacy and data protection of individuals whose personal data would be contained in such documents.

==== Personal Data May Be Disclosed ====
Article 86 GDPR states that official documents "''may be disclosed''" for the sake of transparency even if the GDPR remains applicable, which is the case when those documents contain personal data. By doing so, Article 86 GDPR seems to indicate that EU data protection law should not systematically prevent their disclosure.

The provision further points out that a potential conflict may arise between transparency and data protection, and stresses the need to reconcile those two conflicting rights, albeit without providing any indications as to how this should be accomplished. For example, it does not refer to the possibility of exempting controllers or processors from complying with certain obligations under the GDPR in order to facilitate access to documents as it happens, for example, in [[Article 85 GDPR]], which notably assigns Member States the task of reconciling freedom of expression and information with data protection rules, and specifically lists which parts of the GDPR can be derogated from in that context. By contrast, Article 86 GDPR does not provide any specific instructions on how to ensure compliance with the GDPR while ensuring sufficient transparency.

The interest of reconciling data protection and transparency is acknowledged, “''but the provision does not allow for exemptions and derogations from the rules contained in the GDPR nor does it set any further conditions''”. Thus, some argue, that “[w]''hen examining Article 86 GDPR one can wonder what normative value it actually has''”.<ref>''Kranenborg'', in Kuner et al., The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Article 86 GDPR, p. 1216 (Oxford University Press 2020).</ref>

==== The GDPR Remains Applicable ====
Having considered the above, it can be concluded that the GDPR remains fully applicable in the context of the exercise of the right to access to official documents, with the need to respect, ''inter alia'', the principle of lawful and fair processing ([[Article 5 GDPR]]) or the obligation to have a valid legal basis (Article 6 GDPR),[On this point, some authors have argued that “''the Union or Member State law referred to in Article 86 on which disclosure can be based is no different from a Union or Member State law referred to in Article 6 GDPR''. Recital 154 also seems to go in this direction as it states that public access to official documents may be considered to be in “''the public interest''”. See, ''Kranenborg'', in Kuner et al., The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Article 86 GDPR, p. 1217 (Oxford University Press 2020).] and with the possibility for DPAs to scrutinise such processing. This interpretation was also confirmed by ''Bavarian Lager'', where the CJEU ruled that EU institutions have to apply EU data protection law in the context of access to official documents containing personal data.<ref>CJEU, Case C‑28/08, ''European Commission v The Bavarian Lager'', 29 June 2010, para. 59 (available [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62008CJ0028 here]).</ref>

In many Member States, the right of the public to transparency in the administration has often been conferred by provisions of national law requiring authorities to actively publish official documents, or to communicate a copy of them upon request. However, the GDPR remains applicable when those documents contain personal data, and the concerned authorities must therefore consider on which legal basis under [[Article 6 GDPR|Articles 6,]] [[Article 9 GDPR|9]] or [[Article 10 GDPR|10 GDPR]] such processing of personal data may take place.

''A fortiori'', when the documents do not contain any sensitive personal data, such disclosures could be lawful on the basis of [[Article 6 GDPR|Article 6(1)(c) GDPR]] (i.e. processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject) or [[Article 6 GDPR|Article 6(1)(e) GDPR]] (i.e. processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller). When the disclosure of official documents is based on the necessity to comply with a legal obligation, the conditions laid down in the underlying national law must be fully considered, including any exceptions or potential grounds for refusal. Often, one of these conditions is the respect of the right of privacy and data protection of individuals, which would require the concerned authority to balance the interest of the requesting party to access the documents with the legitimate interest and right to privacy of the data subjects whose personal data appear in such documents. This analysis must be made on a case-by-case basis, in light of all the relevant circumstances, including the nature of the document, its value for the public, and the consequences of its disclosure.<ref>This conclusion has been confirmed by the (scarce) case-law on the topic. Indeed, European courts have over the years developed different criteria to determine the lawfulness of disclosing official documents, or on the contrary to refuse such a disclosure, on grounds pertaining to the right to privacy or data protection.</ref>

For instance, the ECtHR in ''Magyar Helsinki Bizottság v. Hungary'' examined the refusal of the Hungarian authorities to provide an NGO with information relating to the names and work of ''ex officio'' defence counsel on the ground that such information constituted personal data.<ref>ECtHR, Case n. 18030/11, ''Magyar Helsinki Bizottsdg'', 8 November 2016, margin number 194 (available [https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-167828%22%5D} here]).</ref> The ECtHR considered this refusal contrary to the Convention, because (among others) the request for these names, "''although they constituted personal data, related predominantly to the conduct of professional activities in the context of public proceedings''", and that those activities "''cannot be considered to be a private matter''".

A somewhat similar approach was adopted by the CJEU in a case where a Dutch journalist filed an access request concerning the functioning of an additional pension scheme for MEPs. The Parliament had first rejected the request in order to protect the privacy of parliamentarians. The CJEU, however, then annulled this decision because disclosure would not prejudice the legitimate interests of the MEPs. In particular, the CJEU held that “''in weighing up the interests engaged, the legitimate interests of the MEPs who are members of the additional pension scheme, which fall into the public sphere of those MEPs, must be subject to a lesser degree of protection than that which, following the logic of Regulation No 45/2001, would be enjoyed by the interests falling into their private sphere''”.<ref>CJEU, T-115/13, ''Dennekamp'', 15 July 2015, margin number 124 (available [https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf;jsessionid=2FA0EC9AAD183756D99C4235B1E6A3C1?text=&docid=165829&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=5449531 here]).</ref>

In conclusion, as Kranenborg correctly states, the case law of the ECtHR as well as the case law of the CJEU show that there are at least two criteria to assess whether disclosure of data is justified: “''the distinction between private and professional matters and the 'public nature' of the data''”.<ref>''Kranenborg'', in Kuner et al., The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Article 86 GDPR, p. 1216 (Oxford University Press 2020).</ref>

== Decisions ==
→ You can find all related decisions in [[:Category:Article 86 GDPR]]

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Article 86 GDPR]] [[Category:GDPR Articles]]

Article 86 GDPR - Revision history

Bodobalazs: 1 revision imported: GDPRHUB import 2023 04 18