Council should not exempt the free flow of data

The European Commission’s free flow of data proposal aimed to end digital single market fragmentation through restricting national measures that force data to be geographically located when processed or stored. Data should know no boundaries. Free data movement will enable us to benefit society through innovative business models. Removing and limiting restrictive national measures is the strength of the proposal. Yet recent developments would not achieve this because Council is moving to water down the proposal. Justification of measures beyond national security cannot be accepted.

While businesses will facilitate competition between providers through enabling business-to-business data porting, Member States are moving to restrict free flow of public sector data. Businesses and society should both benefit from this proposal.

Markus J. Beyrer, Director General of BusinessEurope, said: “BusinessEurope welcomed this proposal as it would build Europe’s data economy to compete with the rest of the world. Yet recent movements within Council will not help to achieve this. Adding further exemptions to the free flow of non-personal data might turn this proposal into a trojan horse to continue with national localisation measures”.

BusinessEurope strongly calls on the Council to not water down the present proposal. 

Find more in our position paper.