Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo issued the following statement regarding the European Union-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF):

“The United States welcomes the European Union’s adoption of an adequacy decision for the DPF.  This framework, announced by President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in March 2022, represents the culmination of years of significant collaboration between the United States and the EU and reflects our shared commitment to facilitating data flows between our respective jurisdictions in a manner that protects individual rights and personal data.

Now that the EU has adopted its adequacy decision for the DPF, personal data can be transferred from EU countries and from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to U.S. organizations participating in the EU-U.S. DPF consistent with EU law. We expect this determination will also facilitate transfers through other EU legal mechanisms, including Standard Contractual Clauses and Binding Corporate Rules. 

Trans-Atlantic data flows underpin more than $1 trillion in cross-border trade and investment per year and create greater economic opportunities for companies and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.  The DPF will be a particularly valuable tool for small and medium size businesses that wish to participate in the transatlantic economy, providing an affordable and straightforward means of transferring personal data consistent with EU law.

In the coming days, the U.S. Department of Commerce will launch a new website for the Data Privacy Framework Program.  Ahead of this launch, the U.S. Department of Commerce will provide guidance to participants in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, 70% of which are small and medium enterprises, to facilitate their transition to the DPF.”