Data protection and law
Abs.
Abbreviation for Absatz
In short and in plain language
Abs. is short for the German word Absatz.
A section or an article of a law or another rule often has several parts. Each part has a number.
The number after Abs. tells you which part is meant.
Definition
Abs. is the German abbreviation for Absatz, a numbered subsection or paragraph in a legal text. Sections and articles of German and EU laws and regulations are often divided into such subsections, and so are sections of administrative guidelines. The reference before Abs. usually names the part it belongs to, the number after it the subsection: § 147 Abs. 3 AO is subsection 3 of section 147 of the German Fiscal Code, and Art. 22 Abs. 1 DSGVO is paragraph 1 of Article 22 of the GDPR.