Let the Commission know your views on the emerging issues!
The potential of free flow of data to support the achievement of the Digital Single Market (DSM) and of sustainable economic growth is placed high on the political agenda. The European Free Flow of Data Initiative, a key component of the broader DSM Strategy, focuses on tackling “restrictions on free movement of data for reasons other than the protection of personal data within the EU and unjustified restrictions on the location of data for storage and processing purposes”. Notably, EU actions might be needed to address emerging issues related to data ownership, interoperability, usability and access to data, and liability; access to public data (supporting research and innovation) will also be considered.
In the context of this initiative, the European Commission recently published its Communication on “Building a European Data Economy”, which aims to address barriers to the free flow of data in order to unlock economic potential. In parallel, the European Commission has also launched a public consultation to gather stakeholder feedback in this domain and identify the key challenges and trends for future policy making.
As part of an EU study conducted by Deloitte, Open Evidence and WIK as partners, and time.lex and OpenForum Europe as subcontractors, an
online survey has just been launched to provide the European Commission with further evidence on business practices of data sharers and re-users in Europe.
This online survey, which is complementary to the Commission’s public consultation, is focused mainly on data sharing and re-use. The outputs of this survey will allow EU policy makers to gain better insights on the current exchange of data, especially from the perspective of SMEs and highly innovative businesses, and to identify solutions for the emerging challenges, specifically focusing on some of the key stakeholders of the data economy.
Make sure you make your voice heard in the coming weeks, and spread the word in your networks!
