Yesterday, the Council of the European Union, under the guidance of the Estonian Presidency, agreed on a common position on the Draft regulation on the free flow of non-personal data in the EU.
The regulation aims at banning “data localization” and removing barriers to the free movement of data across borders. By doing so, the regulation is removing existing obstacles that are stopping businesses from making full use of cloud services, choosing the most cost-effective locations for IT resources, switching between service providers, or porting their data back to their own IT systems.
The Developers Alliance welcomed the proposal published by the European Commission in September.
The free-flow of data is fundamental to a vibrant digital economy. Impediments which restrict the flow of data across borders create fragmented and inefficient markets without scale economies, stifle innovation, limit competition, and drive up consumer costs.
The free flow of non-personal data will allow businesses to avoid duplication of data at several locations, feel more confident to enter new markets, and scale-up their activities more easily. All this is essential in order to fully benefit from the potential of the data economy and to realize a truly functional European Digital Single Market.
Now that the Council has finalized its position, it’s up to the Members of the Parliament to finalize theirs and then discuss in trialogue with the other co-legislators. We hope the text will keep its positive outlook.
The Developers Alliance will continue engaging on this important file, bringing the voice of innovative businesses to the EU policy arena.
MICHELA PALLADINO
Director, European Policy & Government Relations
