Op-Ed: “AG Pikamäe’s Opinion in OT: Transparency Meets Data Protection” by Alberto Miglio

In his recent Opinion in OT v Vyriausioji tarnybinės etikos komisija (C-184/20), Advocate General (AG) Pikamäe addressed the impact of EU data protection legislation on laws prescribing transparency requirements for public administrations. The Opinion is an important reminder to national lawmakers that the public disclosure of personal data must meet a stringent proportionality test and contains valuable policy advice on the balancing of transparency and data protection.

Background to the case

By its reference for a preliminary ruling, the Regional Administrative Court of Vilnius had asked the Court of Justice to rule on the compatibility with Regulation 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation, ‘GDPR’) of a Lithuan