The European Commission has the power to determine, on the basis of article 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:
- a proposal from the European Commission;
- an opinion of the European Data Protection Board;
- an approval from representatives of EU countries;
- the adoption of the decision by the European Commission.
At any time, the European Parliament and the Council may request the European Commission to maintain, amend or withdraw the adequacy decision on the grounds that its act exceeds the implementing powers provided for in the regulation.
The effect of such a decision is that personal data can flow from the EU (and Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) to that third country without any further safeguard being necessary. In others words, transfers to the country in question will be assimilated to intra-EU transmissions of data.
The European Commission has so far recognised Andorra, Argentina, Canada (commercial organisations), Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Israel, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Switzerland , the United Kingdom under the GDPR and the LED, the United States (commercial organisations participating in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework) and Uruguay as providing adequate protection.
With the exception of the United Kingdom, these adequacy decisions do not cover data exchanges in the law enforcement sector which are governed by the Law Enforcement Directive (Article 36 of Directive (EU) 2016/680).
Adequacy decisions latest
- 11 April 2023
Joint Press Statement by Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, and Ko Haksoo, Chair of the Republic of Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission
- 4 April 2023
Joint Press Statement on the conclusion of the first review of the Japan-EU mutual adequacy arrangement
- 17 December 2021
Joint Press Statement by Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice of the European Commission, and Yoon Jong In, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commis
- 17 December 2021
Questions & Answers on the adoption of the adequacy decision ensuring safe data flows between the EU and the Republic of Korea
Documents
Related links
Data protection: European Commission launches process on personal data flows to UK
Press release - 19 February 2021
International data flows: Commission launches the adoption of its adequacy decision on Japan
Press release - 5 September 2018