On Thursday 24 November, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee backed the transatlantic framework agreement on personal data protection.
This agreement is supposed to set out standards for personal data protection in all existing and future mechanisms relating to police and legal cooperation between the EU and US that involve the data transfer system.
The committee supported the recommendation on the agreement, prepared by Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, Germany) by 41 votes in favour, 4 against, with the 6 abstentions. The rapporteur stated, “In the future, stricter and binding standards, as well as robust individual rights will apply to data exchange between the police and authorities responsible for law and order”.
The MEP explained,“The agreement represents the start of a new way to negotiate high transatlantic standards on fundamental rights instead of the incomplete, fragmented and very low ones seen so far”. He added “It was crucial for Parliament’s approval to have a binding clarification that the Umbrella Agreement is not a legal basis for new data transfers, and that data protection authorities can always check compliance”.
The EP explained that the agreement ensures that citizens on both sides of the Atlantic will have the right to: be informed in the event of data security breaches, have inaccurate information corrected and seek judicial redress at court. It also sets limits on onward transfers of data and retention periods.
The EU and US signed the framework agreement on 2 June in Amsterdam. The novelty of this agreement is located in the fact that Europeans can now demand compensation from US courts in the event of inappropriate use of their personal data. The President of the US, Barack Obama, signed the US law on this issue last February, which is known as the “Judicial Redress Act”. The European Parliament still needs to give its consent for this agreement. The plenary vote will take place on 1 December. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)