General Data Protection Regulation

Subscribe to General Data Protection Regulation

On Friday, June 24, the UK electorate voted through a referendum to leave the European Union by a 52% majority. The mechanics of leaving the European Union will be complex, given that the referendum question did not spell out what relationship the UK would have with the EU once it has left, and there is widespread disagreement within the UK government around how and when the United Kingdom’s separation from the European Union should be implemented. One question is what effect Brexit will have on the continued application of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the UK.

Today the European Council approved its version of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The next stage is for the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council (each has its own preferred version of the regulation) to jointly agree on the final text of the regulation. These discussions will commence officially on June 24, 2015, and are currently scheduled to produce the final version of the GDPR by December 2015.