Robert Bond ( robert.bond@bristows.com) is Senior Counsel & Notary Public at Bristows LLP in London, UK.

In the nick of time, just before the end of 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) reached an agreement on Brexit, its impact on trade, and many other issues, including free flow of personal data between the EU and the UK. The treaty allows personal data to flow freely from the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) to the UK until adequacy decisions have been adopted—for no more than six months. This enabled UK businesses and public bodies across all sectors to continue to freely receive data from the EU and EEA, including law enforcement agencies.