Off the wire
• Vietnamese deputy PM to attend UN meeting on HIV/AIDS in June  • Palestinian woman killed after attempting to stab soldier: Israeli army  • Trial coffee crop growing in Tibet  • Weather forecast for major Chinese cities, regions -- June 2  • Weather forecast for world cities -- June 2  • Canadian scholar blasts Western media for "inaccurate and unhelpful" reporting on South China Sea  • Bangladeshi border force to recruit female soldiers  • Singapore stocks close 0.16 pct higher  • China supports UN proposals to strengthen peacekeeping mission capabilities  • Fiji to downsize peacekeeping force in Egypt's Sinai amid security concerns  
You are here: 　 Home

EU, U.S. sign "Umbrella Agreement" to protect data accessible to law enforcers

Xinhua, June 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Union (EU) and the United States have signed the so-called "Umbrella Agreement", which puts in place a comprehensive high-level data protection framework for criminal law enforcement cooperation, said the Council of the EU in a press release on Thursday.

The agreement improves, in particular, EU citizens' rights by providing equal treatment with U.S. citizens when it comes to judicial redress rights before U.S. courts, according to the press release.

The agreement was signed by Dutch Minister of Security and Justice Ard van der Steur and European Commissioner Jourova on behalf of the EU, and by Attorney General Loretta Lynch on behalf of the U.S. authorities.

"This agreement symbolizes the values the United States and the European Union share. It will improve cooperation between U.S. and European Law enforcement authorities when combating serious crime and terrorism. It will advance the full respect for fundamental rights whenever personal data is being transferred between us," said Minister Van der Steur.

The "Umbrella Agreement" covers all personal data exchanged between police and criminal justice authorities of the EU member states and the U.S. federal authorities for the purpose of prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences, including terrorism.

The agreement would facilitate criminal law enforcement cooperation while providing safeguards and guarantees of the legality of data transfers, said the press release.

The agreement is expected to complement existing and future EU-U.S. and member state-U.S. agreements between law enforcement authorities.

For the next step, the European Parliament would need to give its consent after this signature and before the agreement can be finally concluded. Endit