Privacy Activist Spars With EU Official Over Data-Transfer Rules

The European Union’s justice chief sparred with a privacy activist over data transfers after a court struck down a key pact with the U.S. for a second time in five years.

Companies and regulators are grappling with a decision from the EU Court of Justice that threw out the so-called privacy shield over concerns about potential American surveillance. Thousands of businesses rely on the rules to ship commercial data from Europe to the U.S.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders warned at a hearing Thursday that legal solutions will take time. He told EU lawmakers in Brussels that talks with ...