Article 34

An independent Joint Supervisory Body shall be set up to review, in accordance with this Decision, the activities of Europol in order to ensure that the rights of the individual are not violated by the storage, processing and use of the data held by Europol. In addition, the Joint Supervisory Body shall monitor the permissibility of the transmission of data originating from Europol. The Joint Supervisory Body shall be composed of a maximum of two members or representatives, where appropriate assisted by alternates, of each of the independent national supervisory bodies, having the necessary abilities and appointed for five years by each Member State. Each delegation shall be entitled to one vote. The Joint Supervisory Body shall choose a chairman from among its members. In the performance of their duties, the members of the Joint Supervisory Body shall not receive instructions from any other body. Europol shall assist the Joint Supervisory Body in the performance of the latter’s tasks. In doing so, it shall in particular: supply the information the Joint Supervisory Body requests and give it access to all documents and paper files as well as to the data stored in its data files; allow the Joint Supervisory Body free access at all times to all its premises; implement the Joint Supervisory Body’s decisions on appeals. The Joint Supervisory Body shall be competent to examine questions relating to implementation and interpretation in connection with Europol’s activities as regards the processing and use of personal data, to examine questions relating to checks carried out independently by the national supervisory bodies of the Member States or relating to the exercise of the right of access, and to draw up harmonised proposals for common solutions to existing problems. If the Joint Supervisory Body identifies any violations of the provisions of this Decision in the storage, processing or use of personal data, it shall make any complaints it deems necessary to the Director and shall request him to reply within a specified time limit. The Director shall keep the Management Board informed of the entire procedure. If it is not satisfied with the response given by the Director to its request, the Joint Supervisory Body shall refer the matter to the Management Board. For the fulfilment of its tasks and to contribute to the improvement of consistency in the application of the rules and procedures for data processing, the Joint Supervisory Body shall cooperate as necessary with other supervisory authorities. The Joint Supervisory Body shall draw up activity reports at regular intervals. Such reports shall be forwarded to the European Parliament and to the Council. The Management Board shall have the opportunity to make comments, which shall be attached to the reports. The Joint Supervisory Body shall decide whether or not to publish its activity report, and, if it decides to do so, shall determine how it should be published. The Joint Supervisory Body shall adopt its rules of procedure by a majority of two thirds of its members and shall submit them to the Council for approval. The Council shall act by qualified majority. The Joint Supervisory Body shall set up an internal committee comprising one qualified representative from each Member State with the right to vote. The committee shall have the task of examining the appeals provided for in Article 32 by all appropriate means. Should they so request, the parties, assisted by their advisers if they so wish, shall be heard by the committee. The decisions taken in this context shall be final as regards all the parties concerned. The Joint Supervisory Body may set up one or more other committees in addition to the one referred to in paragraph 8. The Joint Supervisory Body shall be consulted on that part of Europol’s budget which concerns it. Its opinion shall be annexed to the draft budget in question. The Joint Supervisory Body shall be assisted by a secretariat, the tasks of which shall be defined in the rules of procedure.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-01 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.