OREANDA-NEWS. October 09, 2015. We are aware of the decision of the European Court of Justice. SAP values and remains committed to an individual’s right to privacy and protection of personal data.

We offer our customers a high level of protection because they expect nothing less and it is central to good business practices. SAP’s data processing capabilities are growing in Europe, the US and various other countries. As a company that is headquartered in Europe but operates globally, we have an advantage due to our large cloud capacities in Europe, North America, Asia and other regions. That gives us the possibility to offer local services, and we always strive to offer services to customers based on local laws and regulations.

However, our flexibility and reach cannot help solve the industry’s problems. We and other businesses agree that legal assurances as well as free and secure data flow among Europe, the US and other regions are essential for the success of data-based business models. This is important today and will be even more vital in the future. We urge political leaders is to create a uniform, reliable and predictable legal framework without isolating Europe from the rest of the world. Our vision is to create a uniform digital market in Europe, a market where it is immaterial where the data is stored. Such a market should fundamentally be open to everyone and should intersect with other digital jurisdictions in a well-defined and transparent manner.

We hope that the EU and the US work toward a new version of the Safe Harbor Treaty that creates a distinct and reliable framework for transatlantic data traffic. The new version should address industry commitment to protect data as well as sanctions against illegal transfer of data and prosecution of data theft. Political and business leaders should collaborate to develop and discuss the updated Safe Harbor Treaty to guarantee realistic and feasible regulations.