At the start of the year, the European Commission published a European strategy on data. The strategy covers data economy, data protection and standardized data sharing. It envisages also the creation of an EU Data Law in 2021. There will be strict rules that other countries might replicate in the future.
In more detail, the strategy foresees measures for data access and use including a legislative framework for the governance of common European data spaces that will be presented in the fourth quarter of 2020. In addition, the European Commission will invest in strengthening the EU’s capabilities and infrastructures for data processing and interoperability. In fact, the European Commission intends to set-up a cloud service marketplace in the fourth quarter of 2022. Moreover, the European Commission intends to empower individuals with respect to their data and build capacity for small and medium enterprises. Last, the European Commission will promote common European data spaces in strategic sectors such as energy, finance, health and agriculture.
The European Commission has initiated a consultation process on the European strategy on data, which will last until May 19, 2020. European and non-European industries, especially those that are heavily data driven, need to raise their voice in Brussels and in key capitals like Paris and Berlin now that the debate has started.