In his first interview with an English-language media organization since he was elected last week as the new President of the European Court of Justice, Koen Lenaerts, explains how the top court of the European Union works and its role in deepening EU integration.

He discusses why the court's decision to annul the Safe Harbor data transfer agreement between the EU and the U.S. “is not about judging the U.S. system,” but about upholding fundamental rights that “Europe should not be ashamed of.”

As...