More than 20 representatives from the industry - including Ecommerce Europe - co-signed a joint letter directed to the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker concerning the recent invalidation of the US-EU Safe Harbor Decision.

The US-EU Safe Harbor was a streamlined process which US companies could use to comply with the European law on the protection of personal data (Directive 95/46/EC) and that had governed the transfer and storage of EU data in the US since 2000. The European Court of Justice has recently declared the Safe Harbor Decision invalid, and Ecommerce Europe - together with many other representatives of the industry - believes that this invalidation “constitutes a serious disruption for the thousands of companies that have relied on the framework for commercial data transfers between the European Union and the United States. These commercial data flows are central to facilitating transatlantic trade and the continued development of Europe’s data driven economy.”

The letter calls for a harmonized implementation of the European Court of Justice’s judgment, legal guidance and a sufficient transition period for companies to adapt their practices accordingly. Finally, the letter stresses the urgency of the conclusion of a new and strengthened Safe Harbor framework.

The full version of the joint letter is available here.