European Data Governance Act will help boost data sharing and the development of common European data spaces
The European Parliament and European Union (E.U.) Member States have reached an agreement on European Data Governance Act which will help boost data sharing and the development of common European data spaces.
The Data Governance Act proposed in November 2020, will create the basis for a new European way of data governance in accordance with E.U. rules such as personal data protection (GDPR), consumer protection and competition rules. More data will be available and exchanged in the E.U., across sectors and Member States on sectors like manufacturing, cultural heritage and health, as announced in the European strategy for data.
The proposal for a Data Governance Act is the first legislative initiative that has been adopted under the European strategy for data. It includes measures to increase trust in data sharing as the lack of trust is currently a major obstacle and results in high costs.
It will also have new E.U. rules on neutrality to allow novel data intermediaries to function as trustworthy organisers of data sharing. It will also comprise of measures to facilitate the reuse of certain data held by the public sector.
Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age – Margrethe Vestager said, “This Regulation is a first building block for establishing a solid and fair data-driven economy. It is about setting up the right conditions for trustful data sharing in line with our European values and fundamental rights. We are creating a safe environment in which data can be shared across sectors and Member States for the benefit of society and the economy.”
The Commissioner for Internal Market, Europe – Thierry Breton said, “With the Data Governance Act agreed today, we are defining a common approach to data sharing – the European way. We are facilitating the flow of growing industrial data across sectors and Member States to help Europe become the world’s number one data continent. We are doing so by building trust, putting the individuals and companies who generate data in the driving seat so they remain in control of the data they create. In a nutshell: an open yet sovereign European Single Market for data.”
Taking it to twitter, Thierry Breton tweeted,
It’s a world premiere🌍
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) November 30, 2021
The #DataGovernanceAct now agreed, we are enabling individuals & companies generating data to remain in #control of the data they create
We facilitate the flow of growing industrial data across sectors & Member States
A European Single Market for data🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/XViMmQ8gyO
Going forward, the final text will now be approved by European Parliament and the European Council. The European Commission will also propose a second major legislative initiative – the Data Act, to maximise the value of data for the economy and society. The Data Act aims to foster data sharing among businesses and between businesses and governments. An open public consultation ran from June 3 to September 3, 2021, and the results will be published in the following days.
In addition to these two complementary initiatives, the Commission will further develop and fund European data spaces to pool data in key strategic sectors and areas of public interest, such as health, agriculture and manufacturing.
