Hungary Accepts Use Of BCRS As Part Of Recent Data Protection Law Changes

On 6 July 2015, the Hungarian Parliament adopted several amendments ('Amendments') to Act CXII 2011 on the Right of Informational Self-Determination and the Freedom of Information ('Data Protection Act'). The Amendments, currently only available in Hungarian, are designed to develop the data protection and right-to-access public information rules within Hungary, and fix problems the Hungarian authorities have experienced since the Data Protection Act came into force in 2012.

Three main changes will be introduced by the Amendments. The Amendments:

1. Recognise Binding Corporate Rules ('BCRs'), and offer an option that would allow Hungarian companies to undertake intra-group transfers outside the EEA, and allow companies already using BCRs to extend them to include Hungary. Hungary, however, is not part of the mutual recognition process, which allows other European authorities to accept transfers where the lead data protection authority acknowledges that an