The Issue of Data Protection in EU Trade Commitments: Cross-border Data Transfers in GATS and Bilateral Free Trade Agreements

Abstract

The rapid technological developments and the increasing data flows have not yet been addressed through global coordination. The WTO has so far played a minor role, failing to update its treaties to the new reality of digital trade. To reduce the uncertainty as to the economic and privacy-related impacts of cross-border data flows, governments as well as the European Union have started including this topic and data protection concerns in Free Trade Agreements. This Insight will first investigate how the General Data Protection Regulation rules on the transfer of personal data might conflict with GATS’ main commitments, and then consider how the EU has addressed data protection in the context of Free Trade Agreements.