On Wednesday 14 November, the European Commission published an opinion on future US data protection rules. At the end of September, the institution was invited to participate in a public consultation of the US Department of Commerce on a preliminary approach to this issue.
In its opinion, the Commission recalls the fundamental elements, in its view, of a modern and balanced privacy regime, namely: - a comprehensive law; - a set of fundamental principles; - applicable individual rights; - an independent supervisory authority with effective powers. These are the principles that inspired her in the development of her General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and she is pleased to find these elements in the proposed US approach, while providing some technical advice.
"We hope that the United States will join this global trend towards greater privacy protection", said the European Commissioner of Justice, Věra Jourová, in a statement.
The Commission intends to monitor these developments closely, in particular in the context of the evaluation of the transatlantic data protection shield, the 'Privacy Shield' (see EUROPE 12120), which it is due to issue at the end of November. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)