4.7.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L 181/19 II (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 15 June 2001 on standard contractual clauses for the transfer of personal data to third countries, under Directive 95/46/EC (notified under document number C(2001) 1539) (Text with EEA relevance) (2001/497 [EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (!), and in particular Article 26(4) thereof, Whereas: (1)  Pursuant to Directive 95/46/EC, Member States are required to provide that a transfer of personal data to a third country may only take place if the third country in question ensures an adequate level of data protection and the Member States' laws, which comply with the other provisions of the Directive, are respected prior to the transfer. (2)  However, Article 26(2) of Directive 95/46/EC provides that Member States may authorise, subject to certain safeguards, a transfer or a set of transfers of personal data to third countries which do not ensure an adequate level of protection. Such safeguards may in particular result from appropriate contractual clauses. (3)  Pursuant to Directive 95/46/EC, the level of data protection should be assessed in the light of all the circumstances surrounding the data transfer operation or set of data transfer operations. The Working Party on Protection of Individuals with regard to the processing of personal data established under that Directive () has issued guidelines to aid with the assessment (?). () O] L 281, 23.11.1995, p. 31. (3 The Internet address of the Working Party is: http://www.europa.eu.intlcomm/internal_market/en/medial/dataprot/wpdocs/index.htm. () WP 4 (5020/97) First orientations on transfers of personal data to third countries working document — possible ways forward in assessing adequacy’, a discussion document adopted by the Working Party on 26 June 1997. WP 7 (5057/97) ‘Judging industry self regulation: when does it make a meaningful contribution to the level of data protection in a third country?”’, working document: adopted by the Working Party on 14 January 1998. WP 9 (3005/98) ‘Preliminary views on the use of contractual provisions in the context of transfers of personal data to third countries’, working document: adopted by the Working Party on 22 April 1998. WP 12: ‘Transfers of personal data to third countries: applying Articles 25 and 26 of the EU data protection directive’, working document adopted by the Working Party on 24 July 1998, available, in the web-working docu- ment site ‘europa.eu.int/comm/internal_markt/en/media.dataprot/wpdocs/wp12fen’ hosted by the European Commis- sion.