Severity: Info Other, enforcement EU
EDPB instructs Belgian DPA to investigate NOYB complaint on VRT website cookies
Original title: European data protection authorities ask the Belgian DPA to investigate a complaint lodged by NGO NOYB
- Published
- Source: dataprotectionauthority.be
- Effective
- Not stated
- Deadline
- Not stated
- Framework: GDPR
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (as corrected 2018) source
- in 14 days
- Indicative European Parliament plenary date (first reading) for the small mid-caps omnibus, COM(2025) 501, which would raise the Article 30 records exemption to organisations under 750 employees - a forecast, not a fixed date source
Why it matters
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has instructed the Belgian Data Protection Authority to investigate a complaint filed by NGO NOYB about cookies on the Flemish public broadcaster VRT's website, overriding the Belgian DPA's initial plan to dismiss it. The EDPB's decision requires the Belgian DPA to assess the merits of the case rather than relying on dismissal grounds based on Belgian case law or claimed abuse of complaint rights. This demonstrates EDPB's authority to intervene when national DPAs propose dismissals and sets precedent for how cookie compliance complaints will be handled in Belgium.
What changed
- The Belgian DPA must now examine the NOYB complaint on its merits instead of dismissing it as initially planned
- The EDPB has overridden the Belgian DPA's reliance on national case law and abuse of rights grounds for dismissal
- The complaint concerns cookie consent practices on the VRT (Flemish public broadcaster) website and falls under EDPB scrutiny
Who is affected
Data protection authorities in the European Economic Area (EEA), the Belgian DPA, NGOs engaged in data protection advocacy (particularly NOYB), and organizations operating websites with cookies (specifically VRT).
What to do
AI-assisted summary of the official document; the official text prevails. Not legal advice.