The EU Data Act: A new era in data economy and open data integration
Today marks a milestone in the European Union's digital landscape as
the EU Data Act officially enters into force. The Data Act, part of
the broader European strategy for data
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/strategy-data], is
a response to the exponential growth in data volumes fuelled by the
Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. It addresses the need to tap into
the vast reservoirs of unused industrial data, creating opportunities
for innovation and growth.

At its heart, the Data Act is designed to democratise access to and
utilisation of data. It aims to level the playing field by enabling
users of connected devices and related services to access and share
data generated by these devices. This initiative has as goal to
enhance aftermarket services and spur innovation, while simultaneously
ensuring that manufacturers have adequate incentives for high-quality
data generation and safeguarding their trade secrets.

The Act also introduces measures to protect EU businesses from unfair
contractual practices, thereby fostering fairer negotiations and
boosting the confidence of SMEs in the digital market. Furthermore,
the Data Act promotes freedom of choice and competition in the cloud
computing market by enabling customers to switch between
data-processing service providers seamlessly. This move is expected to
prevent vendor lock-in scenarios, ensuring a more dynamic and
competitive cloud services landscape. The development of
interoperability standards for data sharing aligns with the EU
Standardisation Strategy
[https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/european-standards/standardisation-policy/standardisation-strategy_en],
further enhancing the ease of data flow across the Union.

Collectively, these measures under the Data Act aim to establish a
unified market for data within the EU, enabling free flow across
sectors. This initiative is set to benefit a wide array of
stakeholders – from consumers and businesses to researchers and
public administrations, driving Europe towards a future where data is
a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and societal advancement.

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Publication Date/Time
2024-01-11T11:30:00+00:00
A major step forward in realising the European strategy for data