EuroCommerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF), which represent the retail sectors in Europe and the United States respectively, have welcomed the European Commission's adoption of its adequacy decision for the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which will enable safer data flows between the two blocs.
According to EuroCommerce director general Christel Delberghe, the framework will "provide EU citizens with adequate redress in the U.S. with the creation of the Data Protection Review Court. The new framework introduces EU-based concepts of necessity and proportionality which further strengthens protection of personal data of EU citizens in the U.S."
As a result, European retailers that process data in the United States will be provided with the "necessary safeguards to be sure that the personal data is adequately protected".
Legal Certainty
EuroCommerce and the NRF released a white paper in April about the draft adequacy decision, urging institutions on both sides of the Atlantic to swiftly adopt and implement the framework.
According to both groups, the new framework would provide retailers with legal certainty regarding the safety of data, and would provide a long-term mechanism to overcome the legal challenges that had invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, the previous transatlantic data transfer framework.
'Data Protection Standards'
“U.S. retailers have long supported the adoption of a reliable and legally valid transatlantic data transfer mechanism that allows them to serve their customers in the EU while maintaining the highest data protection standards,” commented NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said.
“The European Commission’s announcement today reflects years of hard work on the part of the EU and U.S. governments to re-establish a legally valid data privacy framework that provides safeguards for consumers’ personal data transferred to the U.S. that are equivalent to those in the EU.”
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