The European Union has decided that personal data can continue to flow freely between the EU and the UK under GDPR rules until December 27, 2031.
The European Commission confirmed last week that the UK’s adequacy decision will be extended until 2030. As a result, companies and governments on both sides are allowed to continue exchanging personal data.
Important for companies and governments
The extension mainly helps companies that depend on cross-border data flows, such as cloud providers, software companies, healthcare institutions and financial players. The new end date of 2031 gives them a concrete time frame to manage risks towards investors and partners.
The decision follows a temporary extension of six months that was approved in June 2025, because the original adequacy decision from 2021 would expire at the end of this year. The new regulation runs for six years and will be evaluated after four years, according to The Register.
Brexit concerns continue to simmer
After Brexit, the previous British government considered deviating from European privacy rules, which could have jeopardized the adequacy status. Those plans were eventually abandoned. Under the current Labour government, the Data Use and Access Act was approved, which expands the use of personal data for, among other things, automated decision-making if additional safeguards are applied.
According to the British government, that law should generate up to 10 billion pounds for the economy in ten years through less administration and faster innovation. For the time being, the EU sees no reason to restrict data traffic with the UK.