EU: The Faroe Islands retain their adequacy status in terms of data protection

In a report published on 15 January 2024, the European Commission has concluded that the Faroe Islands, along with 10 other jurisdictions, continue to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data transferred from the EU.

The report, which is the first review of existing adequacy decisions, considered whether third countries’ regimes continue to ensure an adequate level of protection.

The report particularly notes that the Data Protection Act adopted by the Faroe Islands, which entered into force in 2021, is closely aligned with the GDPR.

EU recognition is important for the Faroese research and business sectors. Therefore, the Government of the Faroe Islands has continuously liaised with European Commission representatives over the past several years to deliver this outcome.

The review decision follows the 2010 European Commission decision on Faroese adequacy, as well as the entry into application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, when the EU also announced a review of all third countries based on the GDPR.

The European Commission report can be accessed here.