Brussels, 3 December - As part of its December’s plenary meeting, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) held yesterday an online meeting with Commissioners and representatives of Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) from the countries and the organisation with an EU adequacy decision. This meeting marked the second of its kind, following the first gathering in October 2024.
An adequacy decision is a key-mechanism in EU data protection legislation which allows free flow of personal data from Europe to third countries or an international organisation offering an adequate level of data protection.* To date, the following countries and organisation benefit from this: Andorra, Argentina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Israel, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States, and the European Patent Organisation. Data Protection Authorities from those countries and the European Patent Organisation are key partners for the EDPB, playing a key role in our joint efforts to strengthen data protection worldwide.
Strengthening multilateral cooperation
The Board organised a first meeting in October 2024 with Data Protection Authorities from the fifteen countries with an EU adequacy decision.
Following that meeting, the EDPB and the Data Protection Authorities from the countries and the organisation with an EU adequacy decision strengthened their cooperation by sharing information on some advisory works and gathering experiences on international data protection enforcement cooperation.
“Our first joint meeting in October 2024 paved the way for a stronger cooperation and valuable knowledge and experience sharing on data protection.
The high level of engagement shown in this second meeting by the EDPB and the Data Protection Authorities from the countries and the international organisation for which the EU adopted an adequacy decision is a clear sign of our commitment to continue working together in this shared direction.”
EDPB Chair, Anu Talus
Yesterday’s meeting was an opportunity for all participants to share views on past activities and updates on the next enforcement and advisory priorities.
Note to editors
The European Commission has the power to determine, on the basis of Art. 45 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 whether a country outside the EU offers an adequate level of data protection.
The adoption of an adequacy decision involves: 1) a proposal from the European Commission; 2) an opinion of the European Data Protection Board; 3) approval from representatives of EU countries; 4) adoption of the decision by the European Commission.