News and highlights

This week marks Black Friday, one of the most anticipated shopping events worldwide. Across Europe, millions of consumers are preparing to hunt for deals online and in stores, while retailers gear up for a surge in demand. But beyond the discounts and flash sales, there is an opportunity to make shopping smarter and more sustainable through the power of open data. Open data can provide valuable insights into pricing trends , consumer demand , and supply chain efficiency . By analysing datasets on retail performance , energy consumption , and logistics , businesses can optimise operations while

The SEMIC 2025 Conference took place in Copenhagen on Tuesday 25 November, and Wednesday 26 November, bringing together experts from across Europe to explore how semantic interoperability can transform digital public services. Organised by the European Commission in collaboration with the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU , the event focused on the theme “Interoperability for Impact” and attracted over 500 participants on-site, with many more joining online. The conference began with hands-on workshops on 25 November, focusing on semantic modelling tools and methods, the evolving role

Interoperability is the backbone of Europe’s digital transformation. It enables public administrations, businesses, and citizens to interact seamlessly across borders and sectors. At the heart of this effort lies the European Interoperability Reference Architecture (EIRA), a blueprint which is designed to guide the creation of interoperable digital public services. The EIRA is a reference architecture developed under the ISA programme and is now maintained by the Digital Europe Programme . This provides a common terminology for architects and developers to use, as well as a set of Architecture

Albania’s national open data portal serves as a central platform for accessing datasets published by public institutions. The portal offers a growing collection of datasets across sectors such as governance, finance, and social development, providing citizens and organisations with tools to better understand public information. It provides data from multiple sectors, including health , education , finance , and environment , supporting citizens, researchers, and businesses in making informed decisions. To strengthen transparency and accountability, the portal enables users to explore

Are you interested in gaining insights into the forthcoming Data Union Strategy and the European data landscape? Do not miss our upcoming data.europa academy webinar! Join us on Friday, 28 November 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 CET, for our next session: ‘Building Europe’s data future: understanding the Data Union Strategy’. This webinar will build upon our successful webinar on the European Data Strategy earlier this year and will highlight its latest development: the Data Union Strategy . This new strategy aims to enable AI innovation by enhancing access to high-quality, curated data across

Monday, 17 November marks International Students’ Day, a global occasion to celebrate the role of students in shaping society. The date marks a historical moment in 1939 when Nazi forces raided the University of Prague, leading to the tragic loss of student lives and the closure of Czech universities. Today, the day serves as a global reminder of the importance of student rights, access to education, and the power of youth-led movements. Across Europe, students contribute to innovation, civic engagement, and cross-border collaboration. With over 17 million tertiary students in the EU, data

The European Union continues to strengthen its commitment to open data through initiatives like the European Data Portal , a central hub that collects open data from across Europe. As part of this portal, the data provider manual serves as a vital resource for organisations looking to publish high-quality datasets. The manual provides clear guidance on how to contribute effectively to the EU’s open data landscape. The manual covers everything, from account registration and access control to dataset creation and publication workflows. It explains the structure and functionality of the Data

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising healthcare in Europe, offering smarter diagnostics, personalised treatments, and improved patient outcomes. The European Commission recognises healthcare as a strategic sector and is investing across the entire AI value chain to ensure Europe leads in trustworthy AI and cutting-edge medical technologies. Key initiatives include AI Factories and Gigafactories for supercomputing resources, the review of the Chips Act to strengthen semiconductor production, and a forthcoming Cloud and AI Development Act to boost innovation. These efforts enable

Climate change remains one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, with problems like frequent severe weather events, rising sea levels and loss of biodiversity threatening ecosystems and marginalised communities globally. As governments, researchers, and citizens seek effective ways to mitigate its impact, data has emerged as a powerful agent. Open access to environmental data is transforming how we understand, respond to, and plan for climate related risks. For example, open data enables real-time monitoring of climate indicators such as temperature fluctuations, carbon emissions

Luxembourg’s national open data portal, data.public.lu , serves as a central hub for accessing and reusing public sector data. Launched in 2016, the platform is a key component of the country’s digital transformation strategy, offering over 2 300 datasets from more than 200 contributors, including government ministries, municipalities, research institutions, and private organisations . The portal is designed to make data easily accessible and reusable, supporting a wide range of sectors such as mobility, environment, public finance, and culture. It provides structured metadata, APIs, and tools