European Union: European Data Protection Board adopted Opinion 06/2025 regarding extension of European Commission Implementing Decisions on adequate protection of personal data in United Kingdom

On 5 May 2025, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted Opinion 06/2025 regarding the European Commission's proposal to extend the validity of its Implementing Decisions from 28 June 2021, which recognise the United Kingdom's data protection framework as adequate for data transfers under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive (LED). The original decisions included a sunset clause setting an expiry date of 27 June 2025. The proposed six-month extension until 27 December 2025 is considered necessary due to the ongoing legislative process in the UK regarding the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which is expected to modify the current data protection framework. This extension will allow the European Commission sufficient time to assess the updated UK legal framework once it is adopted before conducting its final adequacy assessment. The EDPB recognises the necessity of this time-limited extension but stresses that it should not be further prolonged in principle and recalls the European Commission's obligation to monitor relevant developments in the UK during this period.