The European Commission recently published its new draft Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for international transfers of personal data to third parties located outside of the EEA.
The new SCCs have been expected for some time in light of the coming into force of the GDPR. The existing set of SCCs were implemented under the former Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and still referenced that regime. The delay was due to the European Commission reconciling the new SCCs with the decision of the European Court of Justice in Schrems II.
Whilst the new SCCs align with the GDPR, address the Schrems II decision, and directly incorporate some of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) Recommendations on Supplementary Measures (01/2020), they are not a catch-all solution for international data transfers. Parties will still be required to undertake a risk assessment, and adopt supplementary measures (where necessary), to ensure the effectiveness of the new SCCs in the third country concerned. Where the new SCCs and supplementary measures do not provide an adequate level of protection in the third country, then companies will be obliged to suspend and/or terminate the transfer.
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