The UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement announced on 24 December has some limited provisions for the transfer of personal data between EU member states and the UK.
From 1 January 2021, the UK becomes a “third country” in terms of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This is only on a transitional basis for up to 6 months ( to end of June 2021). According to legal firm, the BCLP Group,
“This is subject to an important safeguard: if, during this period, the UK amends the data protection laws it has in place on 31 December 2020, or exercises certain powers under the Data Protection Act 2018 or UK GDPR without the agreement of the EU Partnership Council, the specified period shall end.”
The article goes on to briefly discuss the challenges this poses for UK businesses – read more HERE.
Further Resources:
- UK government advice on transfer of personal data between UK and EU;
- Advice from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)