NEWS

Brussels and Washington have struck an agreement in principle on a revamped “Privacy Shield” data transfer agreement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday.

Negotiators have been working on an agreement — which allows Europeans’ personal data to flow to the United States — since the EU’s top court struck down the Privacy Shield agreement in July 2020 because of fears that the data was not safe from access by American agencies once transferred across the Atlantic.

The EU chief’s comments Friday show both sides have reached a political breakthrough, coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Brussels this week.