Police, prosecutors and data protection authorities across the EU need clearer guidance, training and more resources to apply data protection rules effectively, according to a new report from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The report provides insights into the implementation of the EU's Law Enforcement Directive and calls for greater awareness, resources and guidance for applying it in practice.

Read report

Criminal investigations increasingly rely on large volumes of sensitive personal data, from witness statements and biometric information to digital evidence. The EU’s Law Enforcement Directive (LED) aims to ensure that authorities can use such data when fighting crime while respecting the fundamental right to data protection.

The report ‘The Law Enforcement Directive – data protection challenges in practice’ looks into the experiences, practices and challenges of law enforcement and supervisory authorities when protecting personal data under the Directive. It calls for:

• Greater awareness and understanding: despite greater awareness of data protection principles, staff in law enforcement and the judiciary often lack a clear understanding of the Directive’s core principles and requirements, including when it comes to international data transfers. This risks unlawful data processing and can undermine trust in and the effectiveness of criminal investigations. Member States should offer specific practical guidance and training on the Directive and how to apply it. The European Commission and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) should provide further guidance on the rules on international data transfers to non-EU countries.
• More resources: data protection officers in law enforcement and the judiciary often face heavy workloads and limited resources. Data protection authorities face similar constraints, which can limit proactive inspections and monitoring. Member States should ensure authorities have sufficient human, financial and technical resources to effectively fulfil their tasks under the Directive.
• Technological expertise and support: Rapid technological advances have left some data protection experts without access to specialised technical knowledge and expertise for preparing for the application in practice of new regulations that intersect with the Law Enforcement Directive, including the AI Act. Modern technologies can raise concerns about bias, transparency, accountability, and the adequacy of data protection safeguards, particularly when data is transferred outside the EU. Member States should regularly review the use of such technologies and ensure access to specialised technical expertise to support compliance with the Directive.

FRA's report comes as the European Commission reviews how the Directive works in practice. 

The report draws on over 130 interviews with experts across all EU Member States. Interviewees include staff from data protection authorities, as well as law enforcement and the judiciary, including their data protection officers, across all EU Member States. It provides first-hand evidence from these interviewees about where implementation can be strengthened to ensure the Directive’s data protection legal safeguards are not viewed as an obstacle to effective policing rather than an integral part of it.

Upon closing an inquiry related to general purpose AI models and energy consumption, European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho encouraged the European Commission to continue to improve technical solutions to better enable AI providers to estimate their models’ energy use and meet the objectives set out in the EU’s AI Act.

The Ombudswoman’s inquiry followed a complaint from a Member of the European Parliament who had raised concerns about possible discrepancies regarding energy consumption between the AI Act and guidelines meant to assist its implementation for general purpose AI models – the Code of Practice.

In her findings, the Ombudswoman acknowledged that the Code of Practice is only a temporary measure for ensuring compliance with the AI Act. She stressed that the Commission has an obligation to regularly monitor and evaluate how the Code is performing and to encourage its review and adaptation if necessary. The Code may ultimately be replaced with targeted instruments such as harmonised standards.

Background

The AI Act requires providers of general purpose AI to keep up-to-date technical documentation about their models, including information about energy consumption. If a model’s provider lacks the information necessary to estimate energy consumption, the current Code of Practice enables them to explain which information they do not have. The Commission’s AI Office will then make its own assessment based on the explanations it receives from the model’s provider regarding the information they lack, as well as other data at its disposal.

Ombudsman schemes matter because they give people a voice and provide an alternative route to justice.

Ombuds Day 2026 provides an opportunity to celebrate the value of Ombudsmen with our colleagues across the UK and Ireland.

El Síndic reclama más agilidad en el proceso y recuerda que los retrasos son especialmente graves cuando afectan a menores

El síndic de Greuges de la Comunitat Valenciana, Ángel Luna, ha reprochado a la Administración la demora en resolver el expediente de dependencia de una menor de Peñíscola. Su madre acudió al Síndic tras más de dos años de espera, sin que su hija hubiera sido todavía valorada ni tuviera una resolución.

Durante la investigación, tanto el Ayuntamiento como la Conselleria confirmaron que la menor seguía pendiente de valoración y que, por tanto, todavía no tenía reconocido el grado de dependencia ni contaba con un Programa Individual de Atención (PIA).

El Síndic recuerda que la normativa establece un plazo de 3 meses para resolver el grado de dependencia y de 6 meses para aprobar el PIA desde la presentación de la solicitud.

Asimismo, Luna advierte de que las demoras son especialmente graves cuando afectan a menores, ya que el paso del tiempo puede repercutir en su desarrollo físico, emocional o educativo. En estos casos, señala, la Administración debe hacer un esfuerzo adicional para facilitar cuanto antes el acceso a las ayudas, servicios y prestaciones que les correspondan.

Por ello, ha recomendado al Ayuntamiento de Peñíscola que adopte las medidas necesarias para cumplir los plazos legales y ha solicitado que realice de manera urgente la valoración de la menor.

A la Conselleria de Servicios Sociales, Familia e Infancia le recuerda su obligación de resolver los expedientes dentro de plazo y le recomienda revisar el procedimiento y los recursos destinados a la tramitación de la dependencia. Asimismo, le insta a que, una vez valorada la menor, dicte con urgencia la resolución del grado de dependencia y del correspondiente PIA, incluyendo los posibles efectos retroactivos.

El Síndic también ha vuelto a plantear la conveniencia de establecer una tramitación preferente para determinados expedientes de dependencia de menores, como ya ocurre en otras comunidades autónomas.

Consulta la resolución del Síndic sobre este asunto.