The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has today declared the Safe-Harbor Agreement for the exchange of data between the USA and the EU to be invalid. The EU Commission, according to the ruling, does not have the competence to limit the powers of the national data protection supervisory authorities through the agreement.
With regard to today’s verdict, Oliver Süme, eco Director of Policy and Law, comments:
“Today’s ECJ judgment has far-reaching consequences for the Internet industry. Data-based business models and the transnational exchange of data are becoming more and more economically important. As a result, a balance of interests between a barrier-free flow of data and the protection of personal data is of extremely high significance.
The case of the Safe-Harbor Agreement therefore means considerable legal uncertainty for many companies. The German Federal Government and the European Union must now come up with, as quickly as possible, a new agreement which will meet our high standards of data protection and at the same time create a practicable solution for companies.”
