Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU rules UK data protection is ‘adequate’ in boost for business

EU rules UK data protection is ‘adequate’ in boost for business

Decision that allows information to continue to flow to and from UK could be revoked ‘immediately’
British data protection standards are “adequate”, the EU has ruled in a long-awaited decision that lets digital information continue to flow between the UK and the bloc. But Brussels warned Boris Johnson’s government the decision could be revoked “immediately” if it sees weakening UK standards.

Failure to get a positive decision would have risked plunging British businesses into disarray, leaving industries from banking to logistics scrambling to set up more costly, bureaucratic alternatives to share data.

The UK will retain “adequate” status for four years, but the commission warned that could be withdrawn at any time if UK law was no longer deemed to offer EU citizens protection over how their data was used.

The European Commission vice-president Věra Jourová said: “The UK has left the EU but today its legal regime of protecting personal data is as it was. Because of this, we are adopting these adequacy decisions today.”

She added that the commission had listened “very carefully” to concerns expressed by the European parliament, EU members and the European Data Protection Board, “in particular on the possibility of future divergence from our standards in the UK’s privacy framework”.

Under pressure from the European parliament, the commission put a four-year sunset clause on the adequacy decision, a safeguard applied to no other country, which reflects mistrust of the British government’s ability to protect EU citizens’ data.

Didier Reynders, the European commissioner in charge of data protection, said the adequacy decision could be withdrawn “immediately” if the commission had serious concerns.

“Of course we have a procedure and we will give the opportunity to the UK to react and to explain what are the possible solutions, if we have a problem,” he said. “But if there is a real urgency this can be done immediately. So it’s possible to stop the process or to suspend or amend if we have real concerns. It’s a unilateral decision of the commission to do that.”

John Foster, the director of policy at the Confederation of British Industry, said the breakthrough in the EU-UK adequacy decision would be welcomed by businesses across the country. “The free flow of data is the bedrock of modern economy and essential for firms across all sectors – from automotive to logistics – playing an important role in everyday trade of goods and services.”

The digital secretary of state, Oliver Dowden, said: “After more than a year of constructive talks, it is right the European Union has formally recognised the UK’s high data protection standards.”

During the Brexit transition period, the government largely copied key EU legislation into the UK statute book, notably the landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive, which governs data sharing in police and law enforcement.

Brexiters on the Tory backbenches are pressing Boris Johnson to ditch the “prescriptive and inflexible” GDPR. A taskforce set up by Downing Street to “seize new opportunities from Brexit” said GDPR should be replaced with UK laws on data protection. The EU’s GDPR “overwhelms people with consent requests and complexity they cannot understand while unnecessarily restricting the use of data for worthwhile purposes”, states the taskforce report drawn up by Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa Villiers and George Freeman.

The group said consumers needed stronger rights, while data should be “free[d] up” to allow the UK to capitalise on artificial intelligence and data-driven healthcare. The prime minister promised to give their report “the detailed consideration it deserves”.

During the Brexit negotiations, analysts at the New Economics Foundation warned that the absence of a deal on data could cost UK firms up to £1.6bn, either in compliance costs or higher prices for goods and services. Any company that shares data between the UK and EU – via payroll or health records – could be affected if Brussels decides to withdraw adequacy.

Only 12 countries, including Canada, Switzerland and New Zealand, have positive adequacy decisions from the EU. The US was deemed partially adequate, but these decisions have been thrown out twice by the European court of justice. The two legal victories for the privacy campaigner Max Schrems concluded the EU-US agreements on data-sharing failed to protect EU citizens from snooping by US intelligence agencies.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×