Safe Harbour: Commission statement

Here are the speaking points of First Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Jourová 's press conference on Safe Harbour following the Court ruling in case C-362/14 (Schrems).

First Vice-President Frans Timmermans : "Today's judgment by the Court is an important step towards upholding Europeans' fundamental rights to data protection.

"The Court confirms the need of having robust data protection safeguards in place before transferring citizens' data. I see this as a confirmation of the European Commission's approach for the renegotiation of the Safe Harbour. We have already been working with the American authorities to make data transfers safer for European citizens.

"In the light of the ruling, we will continue this work towards a renewed and safe framework for the transfer of personal data across the Atlantic."

Commissioner Vera Jourová: "As Frans Timmermans just said, we have three priorities :

"First, we have to guarantee that EU citizens' data are protected by sufficient safeguards when they are transferred.

"Then, it is important that transatlantic data flows can continue, as they are the backbone of our economy.

"Finally, we will work together guidance with national data protection authorities to ensure a co-ordinated response on alternative ways to transfer data. This is important for European businesses."

 The full statement is available here.

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