Article 77

14c. In Article 77, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

2. The supervisory authority with which the complaint has been lodged shall inform the complainant on the progress and the outcome of the complaint including the possibility of a judicial remedy pursuant to Article 78. Where the controller has appointed a data protection officer in accordance with Article 37, a complaint to the supervisory authority shall be admissible only if the data subject has previously lodged the complaint with the controller or the processor and the latter has not addressed the complaint, or has not fully addressed it, within one month of receiving the complaint."

Justification

DPO Package #4: The amendment strengthens accountability by recognising DPOs as practical governance safeguards and first points of contact for complaints. DPOs already advise controllers and processors, monitor compliance and support data subjects; giving them an explicit complaint-handling role makes resolution faster, less bureaucratic and closer to the facts. Voluntary or shared DPOs are encouraged. Supervisory authorities remain available where the complaint is not addressed or not fully remedied within one month.