A key advisor to the EU's top court said EU member states have the power to suspend data sharing with the United States, in view of major privacy violations revealed in the Edward Snowden spy scandal.

The closely followed recommendation, from the advocate general of the EU Court of Justice, said that "where systemic deficiencies are found in the third country to which the personal data is transferred, the Member States must be able to take the measures necessary to safeguard their fundamental rights."

The advisor, lawyer Yves Bot, said the evidence revealed by Snowden made apparent that "the law and practice of the United States allow the large-scale collection of the personal data of citizens of the EU which is transferred, without those citizens benefiting from effective judicial protection."