Single contact and information point answers legal questions about free flow of data within the EU

What is a single contact and information point?

The guiding principle within the EU is the free movement of persons, goods and data. The EU also aims at promoting the free flow of non-personal data within the EU. To support this objective, the EU has adopted a Regulation on a framework for the free flow of non-personal data in the European Union. (External link)

One part of promoting the free flow of data is establishing a national single point of contact and information in each EU country.

In Finland, such single contact and information point is located at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.

What are the duties of a single contact and information point?

The duties of the single contact and information point are the following:

1. The information point gives advice on the free flow of data and data localisation restrictions in Finnish legislation.
2. The contact point transmits data requests from authorities in other EU countries to relevant competent authorities in Finland.

The single contact and information point does not give advice on EU provisions on the processing of personal data, or process data requests related to personal data. In Finland, the Data Protection Ombudsman (External link) supervises the processing of personal data. 

What kind of data localisation restrictions are there in Finland?

National analysis on localisation restrictions has been completed and can be accessed here (External link) (in Finnish only).