European Union: Adopted First Review of Functioning of Adequacy Decisions for 11 countries

On 15 January 2024, the European Commission adopted the results of its review of 11 existing adequacy decisions for data protection. The review concluded that personal data transferred from the European Union to Andorra, Argentina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Uruguay continues to benefit from adequate data protection safeguards. The review demonstrated that the data protection frameworks in these countries and territories have further converged with the EU's framework and strengthened protection of personal data in their jurisdictions. The review also revealed that in the 11 jurisdictions, there are suitable safeguards in place concerning public authorities' access to data, particularly in the context of law enforcement or national security purposes.