Data processing agreement

The purpose of these Standard Contractual Clauses (the Clauses) is to ensure compliance with Article 28(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).

The controllers and processors listed in Annex I have agreed to these Clauses in order to ensure compliance with Article 28(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and/or Article 29(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.

These Clauses apply to the processing of personal data as specified in Annex II.

Annexes I to IV are an integral part of the Clauses.

These Clauses are without prejudice to obligations to which the controller is subject by virtue of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and/or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.

These Clauses do not by themselves ensure compliance with obligations related to international transfers in accordance with Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and/or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.

The Parties undertake not to modify the Clauses, except for adding information to the Annexes or updating information in them.

This does not prevent the Parties from including the standard contractual clauses laid down in these Clauses in a broader contract, or from adding other clauses or additional safeguards provided that they do not directly or indirectly contradict the Clauses or detract from the fundamental rights or freedoms of data subjects.

Where these Clauses use the terms defined in Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 respectively, those terms shall have the same meaning as in that Regulation.

These Clauses shall be read and interpreted in the light of the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 respectively.

These Clauses shall not be interpreted in a way that runs counter to the rights and obligations provided for in Regulation (EU) 2016/679 / Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 or in a way that prejudices the fundamental rights or freedoms of the data subjects.

Any entity that is not a Party to these Clauses may, with the agreement of all the Parties, accede to these Clauses at any time as a controller or a processor by completing the Annexes and signing Annex I.

Once the Annexes in (a) are completed and signed, the acceding entity shall be treated as a Party to these Clauses and have the rights and obligations of a controller or a processor, in accordance with its designation in Annex I.

The acceding entity shall have no rights or obligations resulting from these Clauses from the period prior to becoming a Party.

The processor shall process personal data only on documented instructions from the controller, unless required to do so by Union or Member State law to which the processor is subject. In this case, the processor shall inform the controller of that legal requirement before processing, unless the law prohibits this on important grounds of public interest. Subsequent instructions may also be given by the controller throughout the duration of the processing of personal data. These instructions shall always be documented.

The processor shall immediately inform the controller if, in the processor’s opinion, instructions given by the controller infringe Regulation (EU) 2016/679 / Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 or the applicable Union or Member State data protection provisions.

The processor shall at least implement the technical and organisational measures specified in Annex III to ensure the security of the personal data. This includes protecting the data against a breach of security leading to accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access to the data (personal data breach). In assessing the appropriate level of security, the Parties shall take due account of the state of the art, the costs of implementation, the nature, scope, context and purposes of processing and the risks involved for the data subjects.

The processor shall grant access to the personal data undergoing processing to members of its personnel only to the extent strictly necessary for implementing, managing and monitoring of the contract. The processor shall ensure that persons authorised to process the personal data received have committed themselves to confidentiality or are under an appropriate statutory obligation of confidentiality.

The Parties shall be able to demonstrate compliance with these Clauses.

The processor shall deal promptly and adequately with inquiries from the controller about the processing of data in accordance with these Clauses.

The processor shall make available to the controller all information necessary to demonstrate compliance with the obligations that are set out in these Clauses and stem directly from Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and/or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. At the controller’s request, the processor shall also permit and contribute to audits of the processing activities covered by these Clauses, at reasonable intervals or if there are indications of non-compliance. In deciding on a review or an audit, the controller may take into account relevant certifications held by the processor.

The controller may choose to conduct the audit by itself or mandate an independent auditor. Audits may also include inspections at the premises or physical facilities of the processor and shall, where appropriate, be carried out with reasonable notice.

The Parties shall make the information referred to in this Clause, including the results of any audits, available to the competent supervisory authority/ies on request.

OPTION 2: GENERAL WRITTEN AUTHORISATION: The processor has the controller’s general authorisation for the engagement of sub-processors from an agreed list. The processor shall specifically inform in writing the controller of any intended changes of that list through the addition or replacement of sub-processors at least 30 days in advance, thereby giving the controller sufficient time to be able to object to such changes prior to the engagement of the concerned sub-processor(s). The processor shall provide the controller with the information necessary to enable the controller to exercise the right to object.

Where the processor engages a sub-processor for carrying out specific processing activities (on behalf of the controller), it shall do so by way of a contract which imposes on the sub-processor, in substance, the same data protection obligations as the ones imposed on the data processor in accordance with these Clauses. The processor shall ensure that the sub-processor complies with the obligations to which the processor is subject pursuant to these Clauses and to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and/or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.

At the controller’s request, the processor shall provide a copy of such a sub-processor agreement and any subsequent amendments to the controller. To the extent necessary to protect business secret or other confidential information, including personal data, the processor may redact the text of the agreement prior to sharing the copy.

The processor shall remain fully responsible to the controller for the performance of the sub-processor’s obligations in accordance with its contract with the processor. The processor shall notify the controller of any failure by the sub-processor to fulfil its contractual obligations.

The processor shall agree a third party beneficiary clause with the sub-processor whereby - in the event the processor has factually disappeared, ceased to exist in law or has become insolvent - the controller shall have the right to terminate the sub-processor contract and to instruct the sub-processor to erase or return the personal data.

Any transfer of data to a third country or an international organisation by the processor shall be done only on the basis of documented instructions from the controller or in order to fulfil a specific requirement under Union or Member State law to which the processor is subject and shall take place in compliance with Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.

The controller agrees that where the processor engages a sub-processor in accordance with Clause 7.7. for carrying out specific processing activities (on behalf of the controller) and those processing activities involve a transfer of personal data within the meaning of Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the processor and the sub-processor can ensure compliance with Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 by using standard contractual clauses adopted by the Commission in accordance with of Article 46(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, provided the conditions for the use of those standard contractual clauses are met.

The processor shall promptly notify the controller of any request it has received from the data subject. It shall not respond to the request itself, unless authorised to do so by the controller.

The processor shall assist the controller in fulfilling its obligations to respond to data subjects’ requests to exercise their rights, taking into account the nature of the processing. In fulfilling its obligations in accordance with (a) and (b), the processor shall comply with the controller’s instructions

In addition to the processor’s obligation to assist the controller pursuant to Clause 8(b), the processor shall furthermore assist the controller in ensuring compliance with the following obligations, taking into account the nature of the data processing and the information available to the processor:

The Parties shall set out in Annex III the appropriate technical and organisational measures by which the processor is required to assist the controller in the application of this Clause as well as the scope and the extent of the assistance required.

in notifying the personal data breach to the competent supervisory authority/ies, without undue delay after the controller has become aware of it, where relevant/(unless the personal data breach is unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons);

in obtaining the following information which, pursuant to Article 33(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, shall be stated in the controller’s notification, and must at least include:

in complying, pursuant to Article 34 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, with the obligation to communicate without undue delay the personal data breach to the data subject, when the personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons.

a description of the nature of the breach (including, where possible, the categories and approximate number of data subjects and data records concerned);

the details of a contact point where more information concerning the personal data breach can be obtained;

its likely consequences and the measures taken or proposed to be taken to address the breach, including to mitigate its possible adverse effects.

Without prejudice to any provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and/or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, in the event that the processor is in breach of its obligations under these Clauses, the controller may instruct the processor to suspend the processing of personal data until the latter complies with these Clauses or the contract is terminated. The processor shall promptly inform the controller in case it is unable to comply with these Clauses, for whatever reason.

The controller shall be entitled to terminate the contract insofar as it concerns processing of personal data in accordance with these Clauses if:

The processor shall be entitled to terminate the contract insofar as it concerns processing of personal data under these Clauses where, after having informed the controller that its instructions infringe applicable legal requirements in accordance with Clause 7.1 (b), the controller insists on compliance with the instructions.

Following termination of the contract, the processor shall, at the choice of the controller, delete all personal data processed on behalf of the controller and certify to the controller that it has done so, or, return all the personal data to the controller and delete existing copies unless Union or Member State law requires storage of the personal data. Until the data is deleted or returned, the processor shall continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses.