(170) Since the objective of this Regulation, namely to ensure an equivalent level of protection of natural persons and the free flow of personal data throughout the Union, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale and effects of the proposed action, be better achieved at the Union level, the Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as referred to in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). In accordance with the principle of proportionality set forth in the same article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve this objective.