Report: EU close to data sharing deal with US

The EU and United States should reach agreement next month on a new framework to replace the Safe Harbour pact enabling data transfers from Europe to the United States, European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told a newspaper.

Brussels and Washington are locked in negotiations to forge a new agreement for the transfer of data, which would otherwise be subject to cumbersome and lengthy legal processes under EU data protection law.

Safe Harbour, which was used by more than 4,000 US and European companies, was declared invalid by the European Court of Justice in October because US national security needs trumped the privacy of Europeans’ data.