European Law & GDPR

Irrespective of political uncertainty surrounding Brexit, certain directives within EU legislation are now embedded into UK law. Our specialist team can advise you on how key pieces of EU legislation affect your day to day operations and long-term commercial objectives. For all businesses handling external data, one of the key concerns will be compliance with the EU GDPR.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation comes into force from May 2018 and is designed to promote greater accountability and security in regards to how a business collects, stores and uses data. New rules require organisations to protect the data and privacy of EU citizens for transactions that occur within member states, and threaten hefty fines of up to 4% of annual turnover for non-compliance.

However, GDPR is not the only regulatory change that businesses should prepare for. New laws surrounding e-Privacy and communication will play a crucial role in the marketing strategy of many EU based companies. Further to this, the Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive will demand any organisation providing a critical component of the national infrastructure (e.g. health, transport, energy and financial services) to develop robust cyber security policies and notify governments of cyber security threats.

In order to navigate these new regulatory landscapes with minimal risk, businesses should seek expert legal advice from corporate and commercial law specialists.