EU Round-UP: Safe Harbor 2.0 And Upcoming National Challenges

EU Commissioner Vera Jourova recently announced in a speech to the EU Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) that the Commission and the US have made substantial progress in finalizing a new Safe Harbor program. Jourova noted that the collection and use of European personal data for US national security purposes remains a key open issue. However, she also reminded LIBE that the US has undergone a substantial review of the NSA's alleged mass surveillance activities over the past couple of years.

Overall, Jourova's comments seemed optimistic regarding getting a new Safe Harbor program finalized prior the Art. 29 Working Party's January deadline for increased enforcement by national Data Protection Authorities starting at the end of January 2016. (The Art. 29 Working Party's statement is available as a PDF on this page.)