AMSTERDAM (AP) — The European Union and United States signed a deal Thursday aimed at protecting personal data shared by law enforcement authorities in the EU and U.S. as they tackle major crime.

Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur said the agreement he signed Thursday along with U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and European Commissioner Vera Jourova "will improve cooperation between U.S. and European law enforcement authorities when combating serious crime and terrorism."

U.S. President Barack Obama helped clear the way for the deal by signing in February a law that gives EU citizens the same rights to redress as U.S. citizens in privacy breach cases.

The signing ceremony Thursday came during a meeting of EU and U.S. justice and home affairs ministers that focused on ways to tackle the migration crisis and fight organized crime and violent extremism.

The ministers, "agreed that the current migration and refugee challenges require global solutions through increased international cooperation and regional action," the EU said in a statement.