Data-Sharing

The Data Governance Act builds infrastructure for Europe’s data economy by enabling trusted data sharing. It covers three areas: First, it allows re-use of protected public sector data (commercially confidential, statistically confidential, or personal data) under secure processing conditions. Second, it creates a notification regime for data intermediation services - neutral brokers that help parties share data without themselves using it. These services must maintain strict separation between data intermediation and other commercial activities. Third, it establishes ‘data altruism organizations’ - registered entities that collect data donated for objectives of general interest like scientific research or public services. The Act complements the Data Act, which focuses on data access rights, while the DGA focuses on building trust frameworks and institutions for data sharing.

The Data Act addresses the growing importance of non-personal data in the digital economy. It grants users of connected products (IoT devices, industrial machinery) the right to access data they generate and share it with third parties. Data holders must make data available in standardized formats. The Act also creates a framework for public bodies to request private sector data during emergencies like pandemics or natural disasters. For cloud services, it mandates interoperability standards and prohibits contractual barriers to switching providers. Organizations must implement technical measures to prevent unlawful international data transfers upon government requests from non-EU countries.