Free flow of data: Enabling the #DigitalSingleMarket

Benefits of new legislation

The draft proposal, currently being discussed by Parliament, aims to remove geographical restrictions on the storage and processing of non-personal data. It would allow businesses and public administrations to store and process non-personal data anywhere in the EU.

Currently EU countries can oblige public and private public organizations to locate the storage or processing of data within national borders and in many cases do so. The current restrictions and legal uncertainty on moving data (for example by switching providers) cost EU businesses billions of euro every year. In the future restrictions would only be justified on the basis of public security. Data portability between cloud service providers should ensure real competition across borders with benefits for businesses.

Parliament's role

The MEP in charge of steering the new legislation through Parliament is Anna Maria Corazza Bildt. “This regulation is truly a game changer for the digital economy in Europe, potentially providing enormous efficiency gains for both companies and public authorities," said the Swedish EPP member. "It will pave the way for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and big data analysis."

Corazza Bildt was clear about her aims: "It is a major step towards reducing data protectionism which is threatening the digital economy. My goal is to have rules that are clear, net neutral and future-proof."

Parliament's internal market committee approved the draft rules on 4 June. All MEPs will vote on the plans during June's plenary session. After the mandate has been adopted, negotiations can start with the Council and the European Commission on the final text of the regulation. 

No risks for online privacy

 These rules would only apply to non-personal data, so would not contain any information that could lead to a person being identified. The regulation is therefore complementary to the General Data Protection Regulation, applicable since 25 May 2018.