European Commission finds 11 existing adequacy decisions may remain in place

Article summary

The European Commission has concluded in its review of the 11 existing adequacy decisions adopted under Article 25(6) of Directive 95/46/EC (the Data Protection Directive), that personal data transferred from the EU to Andorra, Argentina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland and Uruguay can continue to take place without additional requirements. The Commission found that these countries and territories have carried out a comprehensive modernisation of their privacy legislation, aligned their frameworks with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)), and are subject to safeguards including effective oversight and redress mechanisms, ensuring an adequate level of protection for personal data transfers from the EU. The Commission will continue to monitor developments in these countries in line with the EU GDPR requirement to periodically review adequacy decisions.