05/03/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 5 March, the European Commission launched a process to enable the free and secure circulation of data between the EU and the European Patent Organisation (EPO). This is the first time that the Commission has adopted an adequacy decision at EU level with an international organisation, taking the view that the EPO offers guarantees comparable to those of the EU in terms of data protection. Once adopted, this decision will enable innovative entities in the EU - researchers, laboratories, companies - to transfer data to the EPO simply and securely. The draft decision, published on Wednesday 5 March, will be submitted to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and will require the approval of the Member States and the European Parliament. Periodic reviews will be carried out to ensure that this decision is working properly. See the draft decision: https://aeur.eu/f/fqk (IS)