The transfer of personal data outside of the EU is only allowed under certain conditions as set out in Directive 95/46/EC and also in the General Data Protection Regulation which will be fully applicable as of May 2018. If a country is deemed by the European Commission to offer an adequate level of protection, it will be subject to the same rules as an EU Member State, which means that the recipient of the data in that state will not be obliged to take specific measures to allow for the transfer. Transferring data to a country without an adequacy decision requires appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses or binding corporate rules. Derogations to this rule can be obtained in very specific cases. The European Data Protection Board, of which the EDPS is a member, will provide the Commission with Opinions on this subject.
Opinion on a notification for prior checking received from the Data Protection Officer of Frontex concerning the Processing of Personal Data for Risk Analysis (PeDRA) (Case 2015-0346)
2014 was a year of transition for the EDPS, marked by the delayed selection and appointment of a new Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor. Despite the resulting uncertainty, the EDPS under the calm authority and tireless efforts of Peter Hustinx, whose 10-year tenure as EDPS drew to a close in 2014, continued to make significant progress in mainstreaming data protection in EU policymaking.
Building on this legacy, the EDPS' priorities for 2015, as part of the five year strategy of the dynamic team of new Supervisors, is to help the EU to speak with one voice on data protection to uphold the rights and interests of the individual in our digitalised society. To this end, the adoption of the data protection reform will be a significant milestone for Europe and an important message to the rest of the world.
Speech given by Giovanni Buttarelli at the European Anti-Fraud Congress, Brussels
Opinion relating to the prior checking notification concerning the handling of personal data during the different stages of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) performance feedback process at the European Central Bank (Case 2015-0016)
Concluding remarks of Giovanni Buttarelli, Brussels