Policy Observatory
Leaked copies of the upcoming Digital Single Market Strategy and its supporting Evidence file show the European Commission is ready to propose vast regulatory reforms that could affect everything from sales taxes and e-privacy to Internet searches and big data.
Since the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) was signed and its text released earlier this year, preventing the passage of that agreement through Congress during its upcoming lame duck session has become a top priority. But there's another secretive trade agreement lurking out of sight and out of mind, which is also scheduled for completion this year: the Trade in Services Agreement or TISA, which contains many provisions that are a virtual copy-and-paste out of the TPP's Electronic Commerce chapter.
At its meeting on 11.01.2017, the Swiss government accepted a new framework for transferring personal data from Switzerland to companies based in the USA. This “Privacy Shield” framework replaces the previous “Safe Harbor” arrangement and it is claimed to improve the protection of personal data. While certification under the EU-US “Privacy Shield” framework are not valid for Switzerland, the two frameworks are similar and intended to guarantee the same general conditions for persons and businesses in Switzerland and the EU area in relation to trans-Atlantic data flows.
As the Maltese presidency is coming to an end, those of us in the tech policy Brussels bubble spent two days in the beautiful city of La Valetta to attend the Digital Assembly, organised by the EU Commission.