European Union and Singapore's PDPC to maintain close partnership to improve protection of personal data

In addition to the successful collaboration, the European Commission and PDPC also intend to further develop their partnership on issues of common interest.

A joint press statement by European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath (pictured above, left) and Acting Commissioner of Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), representing Lew Chuen Hong, Commissioner of the PDPC Denise Wong (pictured above, right) was issued yesterday (3 March), sharing the progress both countries have made through their partnership.

Having made this partnership back in 2022 for the EU-Indo-Pacific Joint Declaration with 13 countries on privacy and protection of personal data, the EU and Singapore acknowledged the shared vision they had to harness the opportunities of the digital transformation through a human-centric approach. Such effective protection of personal data plays a crucial role and is one of the key enablers for cross-border cooperation, it was affirmed.

As both parties reflected on this shared vision during the meet, notable results have been highlighted such as the joint effort in the framework of the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership to foster trusted cross-border data flows. The Joint Guide to the ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses and EU Standard Contractual Clauses in particular has also shown to be a valuable tool to help businesses active in both regions.

Examples such as the above are seen to support the compliance efforts of companies especially micro, small and medium enterprises. Moving forward, both sides expressed their willingness to welcome further cooperation to expand efforts to other regional data protection networks.

In addition to the successful collaboration thus far, the European Commission and PDPC also intend to further develop their partnership on issues pertaining to common interest through the exchange of knowledge, experience and best practices. This will enhance data protection and trusted data flows, including exploring the use of privacy-enhancing technologies, in support of the digital economy and advancing the protection of children in the digital environment – a priority for both sides.

Concluding the meet, both sides looked forward to continuing their close partnership. This cooperation can contribute to further strengthening of the partnership between EU and Singapore, alongside other bilateral activities such as the recent EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Digital Partnership that was negotiated.

Lead image/ Personal Data Protection Commission Singapore joint press statement