EU tries again with new framework for data flows to US
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says they take a good step to provide trust to EU citizens that their data is safe.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 30, 2023 (AP)
In its third attempt to overcome legal obstacles, the European Commission announced on Monday that it had established a new legal framework to protect the personal data of Europeans in exchanges with the United States.
"Today we take an important step to provide trust to (EU) citizens that their data is safe, to deepen our economic ties between the EU and the US, and at the same time to reaffirm our shared values," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The statement was made possible by US President Joe Biden's executive order from last year, which updated US intelligence agencies' guidelines for monitoring global data flows to include "safeguards" for citizens and residents of the European Union.
Tech firms represented by umbrella organizations applauded the announcement of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Their business models depend on transatlantic data exchanges.
In a statement, DigitalEurope said it was "good news for thousands of businesses."
The Software Alliance (BSA), a US grouping, declared that it would "bolster the management of data across borders -- a cornerstone of our modern economy -- and improve safeguards for citizens of the EU and US alike".
Case to be likely back at EU Court of Justice
Max Schrems, an Austrian legal activist whose legal objections caused two previous EU-US data transfer initiatives to be rejected by EU courts, claimed that this endeavor would also fall short of EU legislation.
Schrems said that the recent framework still has "the fundamental problem" that the US "takes the view that only US persons are worthy of constitutional rights" protecting them from US electronic snooping.
He promised to challenge the effort and predicted that the case "will be likely back at the Court of Justice (of the EU) in a matter of months".
Didier Reynders, the EU justice commissioner, told reporters he had "no illusion" about the impending probable legal battle.
"But it's maybe useful to test the new US system before to challenge such an adequacy decision," he said.
