In order to facilitate the transfer of personal data from the EU to the United States while ensuring a high level of data protection, the Commission has adopted a so-called adequacy decision on the EU-US Privacy Shield. In this context, the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) have agreed to set up an arbitration mechanism which Europeans whose personal data are transferred to certified U.S. companies may invoke when they consider that their data protection rights under the framework have been infringed. For this mechanism to become operational, a list of arbitrators from which the parties to the dispute may select the arbitration panel has to be agreed between the Commission and the DOC. The call for interest has now been published in the U.S. Federal Register and can be accessed under the following link:

• U.S. Federal Register

Until 14 July 2017 (included), anyone interested in becoming an arbitrator and fulfilling the requirements set out in the Federal Register notice may submit an application to the address indicated therein.

Further information

• Privacy Shield webpage