The UK's Privy Council has given its constitutionally vital approval to Guernsey's new Data Protection Law.

The new law, which subordinates the island to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation and Law Enforcement Directive, will now come into force on 25 May – the same day that the GDPR comes into effect in all EU Member States.

Privy Council approval of the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2017 comes hard on the heels of the council's approval in February of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 and the Data Protection Authority (Jersey) Law 2018.

Carey Olsen partner Elaine Gray told Compliance Matters: "The GDPR will affect all business in the Channel Islands when it comes into force, so it is therefore reassuring that both Guernsey and Jersey have gained Privy Council approval well in advance of the 'go-live' date."

The European Commission, one of the organs of the EU, has recently let Guernsey and Jersey know that it thinks of them as 'adequate' in terms of GDPR compliance. The islands are hoping that the commission will persuade other important EU bodies to agree with it. They are not part of the EU, although they are in the EU's customs area.