Tech Industry Welcomes Initiation of Discussions on a New EU-U.S. Data Transfer Agreement
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS — Today, global tech trade association ITI issued the following statement from its President and CEO Jason Oxman in reaction to the joint announcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission on the initiation of discussions toward a successor agreement to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, which was struck down by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on July 16:
“Cross-border data flows are pivotal to the $1.3 trillion trading relationship between the U.S. and EU and are relied upon by the more than 5,300 Privacy Shield-certified businesses. We’re encouraged that the U.S. and EU have begun talks on a successor framework in the wake of the CJEU’s decision in the Schrems II case, and the tech industry is committed to working with all stakeholders in the development of such framework to protect individuals’ personal data while supporting innovation and the free flow of data.”
On July 30, ITI led a coalition of associations based in the EU and the U.S. in a letter to European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and European Data Protection Board Chairwoman Dr. Andrea Jelinek urging the EU and U.S. governments to swiftly begin negotiations on a successor agreement to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, and urging regulators to issue a moratorium on enforcement to ensure data flows can continue in the short term.