Article 43 GDPR - Certification bodies

1. Without prejudice to the tasks and powers of the competent supervisory authority under Articles 57 and 58, certification bodies which have an appropriate level of expertise in relation to data protection shall, after informing the supervisory authority in order to allow it to exercise its powers pursuant to point (h) of Article 58(2) where necessary, issue and renew certification. Member States shall ensure that those certification bodies are accredited by one or both of the following:
(a) the supervisory authority which is competent pursuant to Article 55 or 56;
(b) the national accreditation body named in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council in accordance with EN-ISO/IEC 17065/2012 and with the additional requirements established by the supervisory authority which is competent pursuant to Article 55 or 56.
2. Certification bodies referred to in paragraph 1 shall be accredited in accordance with that paragraph only where they have:
(a) demonstrated their independence and expertise in relation to the subject-matter of the certification to the satisfaction of the competent supervisory authority;
(b) undertaken to respect the criteria referred to in Article 42(5) and approved by the supervisory authority which is competent pursuant to Article 55 or 56 or by the Board pursuant to Article 63;
(c) established procedures for the issuing, periodic review and withdrawal of data protection certification, seals and marks;
(d) established procedures and structures to handle complaints about infringements of the certification or the manner in which the certification has been, or is being, implemented by the controller or processor, and to make those procedures and structures transparent to data subjects and the public; and
(e) demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the competent supervisory authority, that their tasks and duties do not result in a conflict of interests.
3. The accreditation of certification bodies as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall take place on the basis of requirements approved by the supervisory authority which is competent pursuant to Article 55 or 56 or by the Board pursuant to Article 63. In the case of accreditation pursuant to point (b) of paragraph 1 of this Article, those requirements shall complement those envisaged in Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and the technical rules that describe the methods and procedures of the certification bodies.
4. The certification bodies referred to in paragraph 1 shall be responsible for the proper assessment leading to the certification or the withdrawal of such certification without prejudice to the responsibility of the controller or processor for compliance with this Regulation. The accreditation shall be issued for a maximum period of five years and may be renewed on the same conditions provided that the certification body meets the requirements set out in this Article.
5. The certification bodies referred to in paragraph 1 shall provide the competent supervisory authorities with the reasons for granting or withdrawing the requested certification.
6. The requirements referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article and the criteria referred to in Article 42(5) shall be made public by the supervisory authority in an easily accessible form. The supervisory authorities shall also transmit those requirements and criteria to the Board.
7. Without prejudice to Chapter VIII, the competent supervisory authority or the national accreditation body shall revoke an accreditation of a certification body pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article where the conditions for the accreditation are not, or are no longer, met or where actions taken by a certification body infringe this Regulation.
8. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 92 for the purpose of specifying the requirements to be taken into account for the data protection certification mechanisms referred to in Article 42(1).
9. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down technical standards for certification mechanisms and data protection seals and marks, and mechanisms to promote and recognise those certification mechanisms, seals and marks. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 93(2).

Relevant Recitals

Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers to common questions about this provision. They are general information and not legal advice.

Under Article 43(1), Member States must ensure that certification bodies are accredited by the supervisory authority competent pursuant to Article 55 or 56, by the national accreditation body named in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 in accordance with EN-ISO/IEC 17065/2012 and additional requirements established by the competent supervisory authority, or by both. Before issuing or renewing certification, the body must inform the supervisory authority so that it can exercise its powers under point (h) of Article 58(2) where necessary.

Paragraph 2 requires the body to demonstrate independence and expertise in the subject-matter of the certification to the satisfaction of the competent supervisory authority, to undertake to respect the criteria referred to in Article 42(5), to establish procedures for the issuing, periodic review and withdrawal of certifications, seals and marks, to establish transparent complaint-handling procedures and structures, and to demonstrate the absence of a conflict of interests. These conditions are cumulative.

Accreditation is issued for a maximum of five years and may be renewed on the same conditions provided the body continues to meet the requirements of the Article, under paragraph 4. Paragraph 7 obliges the competent supervisory authority or the national accreditation body to revoke the accreditation where the conditions are not, or are no longer, met or where the body's actions infringe the Regulation, without prejudice to Chapter VIII.

No. Paragraph 4 makes the certification body responsible for the proper assessment leading to the certification or its withdrawal, but expressly without prejudice to the responsibility of the controller or processor for compliance with the Regulation. This mirrors Article 42(4), which states that certification does not reduce that responsibility.

Certification bodies must give the competent supervisory authorities the reasons for granting or withdrawing a certification under paragraph 5, and under paragraph 6 the supervisory authority must make the accreditation requirements and the Article 42(5) criteria public in an easily accessible form and transmit them to the Board. Paragraphs 8 and 9 additionally empower the Commission to adopt delegated acts specifying requirements for certification mechanisms and implementing acts laying down technical standards and mechanisms for their promotion and recognition.