On January 10, 2017, the European Commission unveiled the “last major Digital Single Market initiatives” addressing Europe’s digital future.  These initiatives comprise the following:

• A proposal for a Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (E-Privacy Regulation) (see our post here);

• A Communication on “Building a European Data Economy” (see our post here); and

• A Communication on exchanging and protecting personal data in a globalized world.

(There is also a proposal for a Regulation on data protection rules applying to European institutions which InsidePrivacy is not reporting on.)

This post summarizes the Communication on exchanging and protecting personal data in a globalized world, which sets out the Commission’s plans to expand mechanisms for data transfers out of the European Union in the coming months and years.

The Communication discusses a number of topics:

• Adequacy decisions (immediate priorities are Japan and South Korea). The Commission will prioritize discussions relating to adequacy decisions to enable data flows to Japan and Korea in 2017, and also potentially India.  Countries in Latin America (in particular Mercosur (the sub-regional bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela)) and non-EEA countries geographically near Europe are also identified as priorities.  The Commission also re-commits to the ongoing monitoring of existing adequacy decisions (including the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield decision).

• Facilitating trade and effective enforcement by protecting privacy and international cooperation mechanisms. The Commission will also work in a range of fora with third countries that are engaged in promoting and adopting data protection laws to encourage data protection principles akin to those in the EU.  For example, the Commission will encourage third countries to accede to Council of Europe Convention 108 and its additional Protocol, and will push for the Convention’s modernization and accession of the EU as a party to that Convention.

• Alternative data transfer mechanisms. The Commission will work with stakeholders to develop alternative personal data transfer mechanisms adapted to the particular needs or conditions of specific industries, business models and/or operations.  (Such mechanisms could comprise codes of conduct or sector-specific adequacy decisions, for instance.)

Also notably, in a section reporting on cross-border transfers of data by service providers in response to requests from law enforcement authorities, the Commission states that it will outline options to reform “access to electronic evidence” in June 2017.