June 28, 2021 | 2:25 pm
On Monday, the European Commission announced the permission to continue the flow of personal data of European citizens to the United Kingdom, considering that protection so far has not been affected by Britain’s exit from the European Union.
The European Commissioner for Transparency, Vera Jourova, said in a statement that “the UK government’s legal system for protecting personal data is the same as it was” in the past.
He also added: “We have important guarantees and if something changes on the part of the UK, we will step in.”
Thus, the two approved decisions (one on EU regulations on personal data protection, the other on law enforcement directive) mean that personal data collected in the EU and going to the UK benefits from a level of protection equivalent to in the EU.
The decisions in particular will ensure that British companies that rely on data from EU citizens can continue to operate.
The post-Brexit transition period, which has left rules on personal data flows unchanged, will end at the end of June.
However, the “expiration clause” remains in place which limits the adaptation agreement to four years.
A European Commission spokesman told reporters that if the UK deviated from the agreed rules, “the Commission can decide at any time to suspend, cancel or amend the decision”.
“Subtly charming bacon junkie. Infuriatingly humble beer trailblazer. Introvert. Evil reader. Hipster-friendly creator.”