"We applaud the Biden administration for taking this timely action to safeguard transatlantic data flows on which the global retail industry depends."
WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation welcomed the White House’s announcement today of an executive order that lays the groundwork to restore the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield program as the improved EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. The announcement advances the agreement in principle reached between the United States and European Union in March of this year.
“We applaud the Biden administration for taking this timely action to safeguard transatlantic data flows on which the global retail industry depends,” said NRF Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French. “NRF has long engaged with policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic in support of establishing a coherent and predictable set of rules for transatlantic data flows to ensure the protected transfer of personal data from the EU to the U.S. The Executive Order issued today represents a significant step forward to establish the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework as a legally valid and reliable transfer mechanism so that global retail companies and other enterprises can continue to serve their customers with the highest data protection standards.”
Since 2016, NRF has been actively engaged on EU data protection regulations and transatlantic data flows policy, working with its counterparts at EuroCommerce on joint association meetings with EU and U.S. government officials to develop solutions to the challenge of disparate privacy regimes on both sides of the Atlantic. Following today’s action by the Biden administration, the next step in the process includes formal approval by the European Commission of the policy and structural changes made by the executive order before the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework can be implemented as a new and valid transatlantic data transfer mechanism.
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the United States and the European Union had reached a long-sought agreement in principle on transatlantic data flows, which NRF supported.
About NRF
The National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail thrive. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $3.9 trillion to annual GDP and supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 52 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies. nrf.com