CADA tracker · source extraction

Article 18

printed pages 53–54 · source locator: Article 18 occurrence 1; printed pages 53–54

Official source: COM(2026) 502 final — Proposal for a Cloud and AI Development Act

Article 18

Associated third countries
     1.    The Commission may adopt decisions, by means of implementing acts, identifying
           third countries for which cloud computing service providers subject to the control of
           that third country or a legal entity established in that third country may be audited
           against the criteria for Union assurance level 3 pursuant to Annex II, provided that
           that third country fulfils the following cumulative criteria:
           (a)   it is subject to a relevant adequacy decision adopted under Article 45 of
                 Regulation (EU) 2016/679;
           (b)   it has no measures in place that enable it to exercise control over the cloud
                 computing service provider in a way that would conflict with the requirements
                 for lawful access to non-personal data set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article
                 32 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2854;
           (c)   it has no measures in place to compel the cloud computing service provider to
                 degrade or disrupt service continuity or provision. It also has no measures in
                 place to oblige the cloud computing service provider to implement, enforce,
                 give effect to, or comply with restrictive measures such as sanction regimes,
                 embargoes, or any equivalent legal or administrative measures, unless these

                specific measures are legitimate under the national laws of Member States or
                Union law;
          (d)   it has no measures in place to impede the provision of state-of-the-art
                technologies and services provided by the cloud computing service provider;
          (e)   it maintains an open market to Union cloud computing services;
          (f)   the third country grants equivalent levels of access to public procurement
                procedures of cloud computing services subject to the control of a Union
                Member State or entity or a legal entity established in the Union.
          Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination
          procedure referred to in Article 46(2)
     2.   Where available information reveals that the third country no longer fulfils the
          requirements under paragraph 1, the Commission shall repeal, amend or suspend the
          decision referred to in paragraph 1.
     3.   The Commission shall publish on its website a list of third countries that fulfil the
          requirements under paragraph 1 and those that no longer do so.
                                          SECTION 2
                        CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES

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