Brussels, Dhu-AlQa'dah 24, 1436, Sep 8, 2015, SPA -- The European Union and the United States have finalized a deal aimed at protecting personal data exchanged during efforts to prevent or investigate terrorism and other criminal offences, dpa cited EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova as saying on Tuesday. Data protection has been a touchy issue in trans-Atlantic relations, due in part to revelations in 2013 that Washington had carried out mass spying on citizens and politicians in privacy-conscious Europe. The so-called Umbrella Agreement will govern the exchange of personal data - such as criminal records, names and addresses - between US and EU authorities. Negotiations on the deal started in early 2011. -- SPA 21:14 LOCAL TIME 18:14 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w