Data Act Enforcement in Germany: Federal Network Agency or BfDI?
Germany's Data Act implementation law is now in force. The Data Act Implementation Act Germany (DADG) was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 29 May 2026 and applies from 30 May 2026.
In the coverage around the German DADG, companies may come across two different authorities: the Federal Network Agency and the BfDI. At first glance, that raises a practical question: if a Data Act issue comes up in Germany, which authority is the right contact?
There is no real contradiction behind this. The Data Act allows Member States to designate more than one competent authority. Germany has now created a model in which the Federal Network Agency is the central authority for large parts of Data Act enforcement Germany, while the BfDI is responsible where the application of the Data Act concerns the protection of personal data.
