BRUSSELS – May 20, 2020 – BSA | The Software Alliance welcomes the shared ambition for strong digital trade provisions in the EU-UK future partnership agreement, following the publication of the UK’s draft legal texts yesterday.

The EU-UK trade negotiations are an important opportunity for two of the world’s most open, innovative, and connected economies to negotiate a forward-looking agreement that will safeguard the responsible movement of data across borders and spur economic growth.

“There are many similarities between the EU and UK approaches to digital trade. Brussels and London are aligned on banning customs duties on electronic transmissions, provisions on electronic contracts and electronic services, and provisions of source code protection. Reaching a deal in these areas would send a strong and positive signal for multilateral discussions on e-commerce currently underway at the WTO,” said Isabelle Roccia, Senior Manager, Policy – EMEA at BSA.

“As EU-UK trade talks continue, BSA encourages both partners to build strong provisions on cross-border data and data protection into their final agreement. Ensuring trust in the digital economy could not be more important,” Roccia added. “BSA looks forward to supporting both trading partners in these efforts as negotiations continue.”

In a recent policy paper, “Digital Trade in the EU-UK Free Trade Agreement,” BSA outlines ten provisions that Brussels and London could adopt to support job creation and innovation in the EU and UK.

To view BSA’s full set of recommendations, visit: https://www.bsa.org/policy-filings/emea-digital-trade-in-the-eu-uk-free-trade-agreement