Greetings from Portsmouth, New Hampshire!
Is it possible a finalized EU-U.S. Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework between the EU and U.S. is just around the corner? It seems promising based on new tweets by EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo earlier today.
Reynders tweeted on "the very good progress in the discussions on #safedataflows" between the EU and U.S. and indicated they "should be able to move soon to next steps."
In March, the EU and U.S. agreed "in principle" to a new trans-Atlantic data agreement, although details were not released at the time and presumably were still being finalized. At the time of the announcement, President Joe Biden said, "This new arrangement will enhance the Privacy Shield framework, promote growth and innovation in Europe and in the United States and help companies, both small and large, compete in the digital economy."
Privacy Shield agreements between the EU and U.S. have had a storied past with the previous two versions getting invalidated. While there is a growing sense of urgency to have an agreement finalized, there are also concerns about legal challenges, especially from NOYB's Max Schrems.
Last year, during a fireside chat at the Forum Global conference, European Commission Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers acting Director-General Salla Saastamoinen emphasized an agreement was a priority for the Commission, but cautioned a "quick fix" wasn't an optimal solution. "It is in our common interests ... to have the solution that ensures compliance with the EU requirements; nobody wants a 'Schrems III' judgment."
We will keep you updated as the story progresses.
In other privacy news, there is still time to submit a speaking proposal for the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2023 happening in April. The conference attracts approximately 5,000 people from all over the world and is in Washington, D.C. IAPP Managing Director, Washington, D.C., Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, CIPP/US, CIPM, offered tips for submitting a speaking proposal. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 18.