EU Lawmakers Push EC for Clear Data Flow Guidelines

The European Commission should set "clear rules" for EU-U.S. data flows in line with the European Court of Justice judgment in Schrems II, the European Parliament said Thursday. Members stressed the EC "should not conclude new adequacy decisions with third countries without taking into account the implications" of EU court rulings and opinions of the European Data Protection Supervisor and board. Lawmakers criticized the Irish Data Protection Commission's decision to launch the Schrems case instead of "independently triggering enforcement procedures based on general data protection regulation rules," and the panel's "long processing times." They urged the EC to file infringement proceedings against Ireland for failing to enforce GDPR effectively, and said national privacy authorities should halt data transfers that could be accessed in bulk in the U.S. if the EC approves an adequacy decision for the country.