On February 19th, the EU released this Communication where it outlines a strategy for policy measures and investment to enable the data economy for the coming five years. The aim is to create a single European data space — a genuine single market for data, open to data from across the world –where personal as well as non-personal data, including sensitive business data, are secure and businesses also have easy access to an almost infinite amount of high-quality industrial data, boosting growth and creating value, while minimising the human carbon and environmental footprint.
The actions are based on 4 pillars:
A. A CROSS-SECTORAL GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK FOR DATA ACCESS AND USE
KEY ACTIONS:
- Propose a legislative framework for the governance of common European data spaces, Q4 2020;
- Adopt an implementing act on high-value data-sets, Q1 2021;
- Propose, as appropriate, a Data Act, 2021
- Analysis of the importance of data in the digital economy (e.g. through the Observatory of the Online Platform Economy), and review of the existing policy framework in the context of the Digital Services Act package (Q4 2020).
B. ENABLERS: INVESTMENTS IN DATA AND STRENGTHENING EUROPE’S CAPABILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES FOR HOSTING, PROCESSING AND USING DATA, INTEROPERABILITY
KEY ACTIONS:
- Invest in a High Impact project on European data spaces, encompassing data sharing architectures and governance mechanisms, as well as the European federation of energy-efficient and trustworthy cloud infrastructures and related services;
- Sign Memoranda of Understanding with Member States on cloud federation, Q3 2020;
- Launch a European cloud services marketplace, integrating the full stack of cloud service offering, Q4 2022;
- Create an EU (self-)regulatory cloud rulebook, Q2 2022.
C. COMPETENCES: EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS, INVESTING IN SKILLS AND IN SMEs
KEY ACTION:
- Explore enhancing the portability right for individuals under Article 20 of the GDPR giving them more control over who can access and use machine-generated data (possibly as part of the Data Act in 2021).
D. COMMON EUROPEAN DATA SPACES IN STRATEGIC SECTORS AND DOMAINS OF PUBLIC INTEREST
KEY ACTION:
- Create a framework to measure data flows and estimate their economic value within Europe, as well as between Europe and the rest of the world, Q4 2021.
Read more about the European data strategy
Download the full document
Download the factsheet
Read more about the European Cybersecurity Act (Regulation (EU) 2019/88)