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October 11 2016

French Parliament Rejects Data Localization Amendment

On June 30, 2016, a joint committee composed of representatives from both chambers of the French Parliament (Joint Committee) reached a common position on the French 'Digital Republic ' Bill that rejects the data localization amendment previously approved by the French Senate, but significantly amends other aspects of the French Data Protection Act. One of the issues discussed by the Joint Committee was the amendment (corrigendum No. 473) adopted by the French Senate on April 27, 2016. This amendment added a data localization provision to the French Data Protection Act, requiring that personal data be stored in a data center located in the EU and not transferred outside of the EU. The French Government was against this amendment which ignored current and future cross-border data transfer restrictions. Unsurprisingly, the amendment was deleted by the Joint Committee. The French Digital Republic Bill now needs to be formally adopted by both chambers of the French Parliament.