The CJEU “Right to be Forgotten” Ruling. In May 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered an important judgement in a referral from Spain’s National High Court involving Google, a Spanish national, and the Spanish data protection authority (Case C-131/12). The CJEU’s decision re-interpreted European data protection law to include … Continue Reading
On October 23, the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue held a briefing session on the EU-U.S. Safe Harbor Agreement. Ted Dean, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, gave an update on the negotiations with the European Commission. Following the Snowden revelations and a resolution of the European Parliament, the European Commission on November 17, … Continue Reading
By Sophie Noya and Henriette Tielemans From September 29 to October 7, 2014, parliamentary Committees of the European Parliament (“EP”) will be holding public confirmation hearings with Commissioners-designates with a view to assessing their skills and qualifications ahead of the EP’s vote on October 22 to approve (or reject) the Council’s appointment of the new … Continue Reading
As part of an ongoing European tour, President Obama has met with several EU political leaders in Brussels today. After the meeting, Herman van Rompuy, President of the EU, stated that the US has agreed to review the Safe Harbor. There are no further details known at this stage but most likely the changes will be … Continue Reading
By Henriette Tielemans On March 12, 2014, the European Parliament voted 544 to 78, with 60 abstentions, to endorse a report prepared by MEP Claude Moraes (S&P, UK) (the Report), and to pass a resolution summarising Mr. Moraes’ findings (the Resolution). The Report and Resolution conclude a six-month investigation by the influential Committee on Civil … Continue Reading
Recent events in the European Parliament and European Council demonstrate that concerns over the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Agreement are continuing to mount, and reform or even revocation of the Safe Harbor Agreement remains a possibility. Today, Covington published a client alert that discusses recent developments involving the Safe Harbor Agreement and the potential impact of … Continue Reading
On 8 October, 2013, a group of Social and Democrat MEPs called for the suspension of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework (the “Safe Harbor”). Their comments, which were triggered by the unauthorized disclosure of document describing a U.S. National Security Agency surveillance program known as “PRISM”, argued that the Safe Harbor is, variously, “misleading,” “vulnerable,” … Continue Reading
Today, the EU Commission formally approved Israel’s status as a country providing “adequate protection” for personal data under the European Data Protection Directive. The Data Protection Directive generally prohibits personal data from being transferred outside the EU unless the data is subject to an “adequate level of protection,” or certain narrow exceptions apply. As a … Continue Reading
