European Union Data Protection Law Stymies Mergers, Complicates Deals

Over half of the 539 mergers and acquisitions professionals surveyed by business services provider Merrill Corp. indicate that they have worked on merger deals that have fallen apart because of concerns about data protection and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Part of the challenge lies in the lack of clarity in the legislation about how regulators will assess corporate compliance efforts, which leaves companies in the dark as they attempt to identify which policy and technology changes to implement and how to perform due diligence on prospective acquisitions.