WIREDGOV

techUK and SEPE yesterday published a joint paper which outlines the importance of data transfers between the UK and Greece and calls for the continued free flow of data between the UK and the EU after 31 December 2020.

Once the transition period is over at the end of the year, the automatic ability for personal data to flow between the UK and EU Member States will come to an end. In an increasingly digital economy, the transfer of personal data has become crucial for businesses of every size and sector. Ensuring the continued free flow of data has been a priority issue for techUK ever since the 2016 EU referendum result, given the importance to the technology industry and the wider economy.

Data transfers between the UK and Greece support a close relationship between the two countries. The majority of trade in services between Greece and the UK is in travel and transportation services; the UK consumed £3 billion of this kind of services in 2018. This trade relies heavily on the transfer of personal data between the UK and Greece, while innovation in this space has allowed consumers to more easily book travel and tourist experiences. Beyond travel and transportation services, Greece - UK services trade has shown steady growth over the past two years growing from £3.8 billion in 2016 to £4.5 billion in 2018. It’s estimated that about half of all trade in services is “digitally-enabled” delivered through digital channels and relying on supporting information, such as personal data.

techUK has been clear that the best solution to ensure frictionless data transfers can continue is through mutual adequacy agreements between the UK and the EU. Adequacy agreements allow personal data to be transferred between third countries and the EU, once a full assessment of domestic data protection laws has taken place.

Commenting on the launch of the joint paper, Julian David, techUK CEO yesterday said:

“The UK and Greece have seen a steady rise in trade in services over the years. The ability to transfer personal data between countries is vital for citizens and businesses on both sides of the Channel. While the UK and the EU negotiate a future relationship, it is of utmost importance that we avoid a cliff-edge for data transfers. A UK-EU adequacy agreement is by far the best solution and we urge the governments of both countries to ensure an adequacy decision is concluded as soon as possible and before the end of the year at the latest.”

Additionally, Yannis Sirros, Director General of SEPE, yesterday said:

“Reaching a mutual agreement on data transfer is, beyond any doubt, of vital essence to everyone. The ability of transferring personal data from one country to another is both socially and financially important for all sides: citizens, businesses, governments, etc. Thus, I strongly believe that both Greece and UK are giving their best towards a mutually agreed decision between EU and UK.” 

The joint techUK and SEPE paper is available to be downloaded below. If you would like to discuss these issues in greater detail, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

DATA ADEQUACY JOINT PAPER TECHUK-SEPE FINAL (DOCX)