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Member States should support free flow of data

Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Digital Economy

Brussels, 19 December 2017 – In today’s economy, small and large companies from all sectors rely on data to provide better products and services to their customers. The free flow of data is key to their ability to operate across Europe.

Through extensive consultations with the Member States, the Commission put forward a strong proposal on the free flow of non-personal data in September 2017.

The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU) calls upon Member States to put an end to data localisation requirements in Europe and support the Commission’s proposal. This initiative only covers non-personal data and would strengthen Europe’s data-driven economy.

The proposal already includes an exception to the principle of the free movement of data, when data localisation can be justified for reasons of public security. Extending these exceptions would strongly limit the initiative’s efforts to build a Digital Single Market. Public security should remain the only justifiable exception.