TOKYO, Oct 28, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The EU and Japan agreed a deal Saturday on
cross-border data flows that will facilitate online trade among businesses
and send a strong message against "digital protectionism", the European Union
said.

Signed on the sidelines of the ongoing G7 trade ministers' meeting in Osaka,
the agreement is meant to make doing online business "easier, less costly and
more efficient", the European Commission said in a statement.

Specifically, it will release businesses of "cumbersome" and "costly"
administrative or data localisation requirements that have been a hindrance
to companies both in Japan and Europe, the statement said.

The pact signifies "a milestone in our joint efforts to advance the
digitalisation of our societies and economies", it added.

The deal is the culmination of a year-long negotiation on data governance
between Japan and the EU as part of their Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA), a 2019 trade deal.

EU firms export more than 58 billion euros ($61.4 billion) in goods and 28
billion euros in services to Japan annually, according to the European
Commission.

The EU has already made similar data rules part of its agreement with trade
partners including New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the deal with Japan sends a
strong signal against "digital protectionism and unjustified measures
restricting cross-border data flows".

But at the same time, it will ensure "the highest protection of the data of
our citizens", he said, in an apparent nod to the EU's emphasis on personal
privacy.