25 Jan
Now a few years into the Brexit process, ATC has provided another crucial update regarding the relationship between British language companies and the EU. Said update covers, primarily: EU tenders, B2C VAT, and UK GDPR. Be sure to visit ATC’s website to find more in-depth accounts of the planned and predicted changes. It’s also worth noting that much of this update relates to aspects we discussed here last year.
EU Tenders
Perhaps the most inconsistent facet of Britain and the EU’s developing relationship that ATC reports on is the participation of UK companies in EU tenders. relying on anecdotal evidence, ATC reports that some EU bodies continue to welcome tenders from UK-based LSCs, whilst others state that tendering companies require a head office or domicile within the EEA. As with many aspects of the new relationship between Britain and the EU, tenders seem unclear at the moment.
VAT on B2C
More clear is the VAT on B2C. ATC’s update states that UK-bases business selling services can now make use of the EU’s One-Stop Shops (OSS’s). The OSS’s cover the sales of digital and other services from B2C – including translation, as ATC points out. ATC also states that one can register of OSS in any EU member state. It should also be noted that Irish Revenue provides an easy online registration facility and an English VAT OSS guide.
GDPR
Finally, there also crucial developments regarding GDPR. In 2021, the European Commission published new Standard Contractual Clauses that covered various facets regarding the interaction of personal data and third countries (countries not a part of the EU). These new clauses came at the same time that the ICO (the UK’s own data protection authority) continued their work on the UK GDPR. Furthermore, in the years to come the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) will replace the current EU SCCs, though addendums will be made to the SCCs to ensure compatibility with transfers from the UK to third countries, when the data is collected in the EU.
For clarity’s sake, ATC has also provided an expected timeframe:
April 2022: UK IDTA templates are published and come into force.
January 2024: EU SCCs can no longer be used.
Hopefully, the process will continue smoothly and compatibility between UK-based businesses and the EU is ensured.
