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techUK and Ametic have published a joint paper calling for a Data Adequacy Agreement by the end of the year.

techUK and Ametic have today published a joint paper which outlines the importance of data transfers between the UK and Spain 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 Spain support a close relationship between the two countries. Spain was UK’s 7th largest trading partner in 2018, with trade amounting to almost 50 bn GBP. The UK is the 5th largest investor into Spain, and since 1993 the UK has represented 21% of all FDI into Spain. British companies are responsible for 240,000 direct and indirect jobs in Spain. Key Spanish companies such as Ferrovial, Iberdrola and Santander all have significant operations in the UK, and over 700 UK companies operate in Spain.

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 said:

“The UK and Spain are close economic partners. 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 embark on negotiations on 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.”

Additionally, Pedro Mier, President of AMETIC, said:

“The transfer of personal data is part of the daily activities of businesses of all kinds and sectors. Once the transition period is over, the UK and the EU will not be able to benefit from the automatic free flow of personal data in place for the Member States. To allow continued data flows that foster the economy an adequacy agreement between the EU and the UK is key. We very much welcome that such an agreement is concluded before 31 December 2020.” 

The joint techUK and Ametic 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.

UK-EU DATA FLOWS TECHUK (PDF)