At a glance: The Bundestag elected Moritz Hennemann as the new Federal Data Protection Officer following the resignation of his predecessor.
The Bundestag has elected Moritz Hennemann as the new Federal Data Protection Officer, continuing the succession after the resignation of his predecessor Specht-Riemenschneider. The authority is centrally responsible for enforcing data protection and new AI regulation in Germany.
Moritz Hennemann was elected by the Bundestag as head of the Federal Office for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). This authority is Germany’s supreme national data protection supervisory authority. With this election, a vacancy following the resignation of Hennemann’s predecessor Specht-Riemenschneider comes to an end.
For compliance officers and data protection officers in companies, the staffing of the highest supervisory authority is relevant, as it shapes the interpretation and enforcement of German data protection regulations. The Federal Data Protection Officer sets compliance standards through complaint procedures, audits, and statements on draft legislation.
Particularly in the context of the EU AI Act and the resulting German implementation requirements, the BfDI plays an important role. The authority will be at the forefront in the practical interpretation of data protection-related AI regulation, for example in the assessment of high-risk AI systems and their data processing.
Source: www.golem.de · Published 25 June 2026
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