Yesterday, the Commission welcomed the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and EU Member States on a European Data Governance Act. Trilogue negotiations have now concluded, paving the way for final approval of the legal text by the European Parliament and the Council.

The Data Governance Act proposed in November 2020 will create the basis for a new European way of data governance in accordance with EU rules, such as personal data protection (GDPR), consumer protection and competition rules. Thanks to this Regulation, more data will be available and exchanged in the EU, across sectors and Member States. It will boost data sharing and the development of common European data spaces, such as manufacturing, cultural heritage and health, as announced in the European strategy for data.

The political agreement reached by the European Parliament, Council, and Commission is now subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission will soon 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 3 June to 3 September 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.

The proposal for a Data Governance Act is the first legislative initiative that has been adopted under the European strategy for data. The Regulation includes:

• Measures to increase trust in data sharing as the lack of trust is currently a major obstacle and results in high costs;
• New EU rules on neutrality to allow novel data intermediaries to function as trustworthy organisers of data sharing;
• Measures to facilitate the reuse of certain data held by the public sector. For example, the reuse of health data, under clear conditions, could advance research to find cures for rare or chronic diseases;
• Tools to give Europeans control over the use of the data they generate by making it easier and safer for companies and individuals to voluntarily make their data available for the wider common good under clear conditions.

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