EU, US Agree in Principle on New Data-Transfer Pact

The European Union has agreed in principle with the US on a new trans-Atlantic data-transfer pact, as both sides race to complete the deal after the bloc’s highest court junked a previous framework used by thousands of firms.

“There is agreement on these matters in principle, but we are still discussing how to ensure that these commitments are binding enough to fully meet the requirements of the court,” Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told European lawmakers. She didn’t set a hard deadline for a completed deal, but she said she expected both sides to make significant progress on the remaining technical points of discussion by the time she visits the US in mid-November. The commission wants to ensure the new agreement complies “a hundred percent” with the court’s ruling, she said. Among the issues that still need to be addressed, the commissioner said the EU was still looking for clear conditions and limits to the extent to which US intelligence services have access to Europeans’ personal data.