As we reported on October 19th, the Article 29 Working Party on the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data challenged the EU member states to “open discussions with the US” to find a viable alternative to the Safe Harbor program. Today, the European Commission (EC) issued a public statement confirming its commitment to working with the United States on a “renewed and sound framework for transatlantic transfers of personal data.” The apparent trigger for today’s announcement are “concerns” from businesses about “the possibilities for continued data transfers” while the Safe Harbor Sequel is under negotiation.

In its statement, the EC confirms that during the pendency of the U.S.-EU negotiations, Standard Contractual Clauses and Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) are viable bases for legitimizing data transfers that formerly were validated by the Safe Harbor Program.

The EC was careful to note that today’s guidance “does not lay down any binding rules” and “is without prejudice to the powers and duty of the DPAs (Data Protection Authorities) to examine the lawfulness of such transfers in full independence.”  In other words, a DPA still may decide that Standard Contractual Clauses and BCRs are not viable under its country’s laws.