The British Minister of Education Oliver Dowden is likely to have spoken to the critics of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from the soul.

In an interview with the British newspaper Daily Telegraph, Dowden emphasized in an interview with the British newspaper Daily Telegraph: “We cannot expect the same from a small family business as we can from a gigantic one Social media company. ”Dowden announced that it would abolish the“ chaos of unnecessary bureaucracy and fields to be ticked off ”and instead protect people's privacy with as little interference as possible.

Dowden plans to make specific proposals next month.

Hendrik Kafsack

Business correspondent in Brussels.

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Dowden also wants to abolish the “endless” cookie notices that have been “popping up” for some time when you visit a website in order to obtain consent to the processing of personal data.

He only wants to obtain a declaration of consent for cookies that can pose a high risk to the protection of privacy.

All of this will allow the UK economy to exploit the great potential that lies in the correct use of the data.

Brussels is not thrilled

Individual MEPs such as CDU politician Axel Voss are making similar demands.

Nevertheless, Dowden met with anything but enthusiasm in Brussels.

After all, the announced reforms mean that the British level of data protection will no longer match that of the EU in the future, even if Dowden claimed the opposite.

However, this is a prerequisite for the flow of private data between the EU and Great Britain to continue without restrictions even after Brexit.

The EU Commission created the basis for this with a so-called equivalence decision before the summer break.

A spokesman for the commission immediately warned that the authority could suspend, terminate or adjust the current decision at short notice if the British plans lowered the level of data protection.

The FDP MEP Moritz Körner described the plans as “gossip for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen”.

It was foreseeable that the British would secure a locational advantage through looser data protection rules.

The equivalence decision should never have been given, as the European Parliament had demanded from the start.

Standards could be lowered

The UK government's plans hit a nerve regardless of the GDPR.

It is the first time that the British want to discard European rules after leaving the EU single market for good.

In the negotiations on the post-Brexit treaty, which regulates trade between the EU and the United Kingdom, the Europeans did everything in their power to ensure that the British also adhere to the standards of the European Union after Brexit.

They are worried that the UK will otherwise gain an advantage over the competition by deliberately lowering standards.

With the maximum requirement of a more or less automatic adjustment of the British standards to the European level - even with new standards - the EU could not prevail. However, the British are not allowed to undercut existing standards in areas such as environmental, climate and occupational safety. Ultimately, however, there is always room for interpretation. The FDP MEP Körner therefore called on the EU to better adjust to the competition with the British and to reduce bureaucracy itself.