The United Kingdom has put in place sufficient data laws to allow a continuous flow of data with Europe. An official decision on this may be announced next week, the Financial Times reports.
The working paper says it saw a draft agreement allowing data to continue flowing between Europe and the UK in the same way as it does today. Temporary measures are in effect, but will expire in June.
For example, a formal agreement between Britain and Europe could support cooperation in the area of justice. When Britain left the European Union, it lost access to important databases such as the European Arrest Warrant System and the SIS II police database. The deal will also be good news for thousands of companies (especially in the health, technology and insurance sectors). After all, companies like this share a lot of personal customer data, which could become difficult in the post-Brexit era. If no agreement is reached, British companies will face serious legal problems.
If a deal is made, it must be approved by the European Court of Justice as well. This is more than just a formality. A similar agreement between the US and Europe (data transfer arrangements for the Privacy Shield) had to be amended due to a complaint from well-known Austrian privacy activist Max Schreims.
