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Read techUK Deputy CEO Antony Walker's comment on the Government's newly released presentation on a future UK-EU partnership on data protection.

Commenting on the Government’s publication of a presentation on its vision for the future UK-EU Partnership around data protection, Antony Walker, deputy CEO at techUK, said:

We strongly support the UK Government’s proposal for a data protection partnership. techUK has long argued that it is in the interests of both the UK and the EU27 to have continued alignment and a close relationship on data protection. The UK Data Protection Bill is due to receive Royal Assent today demonstrating the UK’s commitment for close alignment with EU data protection rules. The slides published by the Government today make a strong and compelling case for why the UK and the EU should agree a close partnership on data protection.

Data flows are a vital underpinning of international trade in a global digital economy.. The continued free flow of data, via mutual adequacy agreements, between the UK and the EU post-Brexit is crucial for organisations of every size and sector. The European data economy is expected to be worth €739 billion by 2020 and data flows will be key to achieving that.

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office is well-respected at EU-level and has been a significant contributor to discussions around EU data protection policy. Continued ICO involvement on the European Data Protection Board is in the interest of both the EU and the UK. The ICO was a key player in the development of the upcoming GDPR and other EU data protection authorities often look to the ICO for leadership.

techUK supports the Government’s ambitions on data protection. We encourage the EU to recognise the mutual benefits of a continued close relationship on data protection, and to commit to having those discussions now.