Data protection watchdog sought major funding boost amid EU scrutiny

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) sought a substantial increase in State funding as it came under growing European scrutiny over its regulation of large technology companies, according to internal records released under Freedom of Information.

In pre-budget submissions, the watchdog requested an increase of approximately €10 million, arguing that enforcement of data-protection rights must be treated as a national priority given Ireland’s role as lead regulator for many of the world’s biggest digital platforms.

The funding bid would have brought the commission’s overall budget close to €40 million, with officials citing rising staffing costs, operational expenses and the growing complexity of regulatory work driven by new EU legislation.

The documents reveal that the DPC compared its resources with those of the European Commission’s Digital Services Act unit, arguing that Ireland’s responsibilities were disproportionate to the staff and budget available to it.

Officials also pointed to expanding obligations under forthcoming EU rules on artificial intelligence, political advertising and cross-border complaint harmonisation, all of which were expected to significantly increase workload and require specialist expertise.

In the same correspondence, commissioners highlighted the scale of enforcement activity already undertaken, noting that multi-billion-euro fines had been imposed under the GDPR regime.

They warned that persistent criticism of the commission’s performance had contributed internally to what they described as an “unfair narrative” and said that without proper resourcing the credibility of the entire EU regulatory framework risked being undermined.