EC Proposes to Approve EU-UK Personal Data Flows

Personal data flows to the U.K. should be permitted because its privacy laws are essentially equivalent to the EU's, the European Commission said. It published draft "adequacy" decisions under the general data protection regulation and the law enforcement directive for review by the European Data Protection Board and EU governments. The EU "has shaped the UK's data protection regime for decades," but adequacy findings must be future-proof after Brexit, the EC said. The decisions would be valid for four years and renewable. Data flows between the European economic area and U.K. continue under an interim regime that expires June 30. The decision is good news because the U.K. "remains an important trade partner of the EU," said the Computer & Communications Industry Association.