U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and EU Commissioner for Justice and Consumers Didier Reynders issued a joint statement today regarding the first periodic review of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Representatives from the United States Government, the European Commission, and EU data protection authorities convened in Washington D.C. on July 18 and 19 to conduct this review.
The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Federal Trade Commission, and Department of Transportation. The EU was represented by officials from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Justice and Consumers and the European Data Protection Board. Independent recourse mechanisms, oversight bodies, and DPF participants also contributed feedback.
"The review marks one year since the DPF went into effect and is a testament to the United States’ and EU’s ongoing commitment to the framework," said Raimondo. Over the past year, both entities have closely cooperated on administering and implementing the DPF.
The framework has reportedly strengthened privacy protections across the Atlantic through initiatives such as a new national security redress mechanism. It has also facilitated data flows underpinning over $1 trillion in EU-U.S. trade and investment. Since its implementation in July 2023, more than 2,800 enterprises have joined the framework, with 70 percent being small and medium-sized businesses.
The first review serves as an opportunity to verify that all elements of the framework are operational and effective. This includes compliance by companies with privacy requirements, enforcement of those protections, functioning of the Data Protection Review Court for redress related to U.S. signals intelligence activities, and discussions on legal developments relevant to privacy and government data access.
The European Commission is currently preparing its report on the functioning of the Data Privacy Framework, which will conclude this review process.
