An EU adequacy decision is a formal determination by the European Commission that a country outside the EU provides a level of personal-data protection essentially equivalent to the GDPR. When a country holds adequacy status, personal data can flow from the EU to that country freely, without Standard Contractual Clauses or other supplementary safeguards.
How an adequacy decision works
The European Commission assesses a third country's data-protection laws, enforcement, and international commitments, then decides whether they are adequate. Countries with adequacy include Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and others; a decision can be reviewed or revoked if protections weaken. Adequacy is the simplest legal basis for EU data transfers because it removes the need for case-by-case transfer mechanisms.
Why adequacy matters for email marketing
If your email provider stores data in an adequate country, you avoid the paperwork and Schrems II risk of Standard Contractual Clauses, and you sidestep US CLOUD Act exposure. Switzerland has an EU adequacy decision, and Mailpro hosts all customer data there. Learn more about data residency and GDPR, or read our guides to email marketing not hosted in the USA and Swiss data residency.
Mailpro and data privacy
Data in a country the EU trusts
Mailpro hosts your data in Switzerland, which holds an EU adequacy decision, so EU-to-Swiss transfers need no extra safeguards.