High value datasets: What has changed and what will come next
The EU framework for high-value datasets (HVDs) has moved from
planning to practice. Since 2024, the Commission Implementing
Regulation (EU) 2023/138
[https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=00acf4c30bcc322fe123a965ae8722b68bbb5ba5b514ba343ea7e0a1f928a787JmltdHM9MTc3NTE3NDQwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=104a5717-23b3-6a2c-3933-428a225e6b5b&psq=Commission+Implementing+Regulation+(EU)+2023%2f138&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9ldXItbGV4LmV1cm9wYS5ldS9lbGkvcmVnX2ltcGwvMjAyMy8xMzgvb2ovZW5n]
has applied across all Member States, setting rules on how specific
public sector datasets must be published and reused. The regulation
builds on the Open Data Directive
[https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=33dbfae02699c02b90c6fdfba967ee279e378209c4478e6eba72484aa5285aadJmltdHM9MTc3NTE3NDQwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=104a5717-23b3-6a2c-3933-428a225e6b5b&psq=open+data+directive&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9ldXItbGV4LmV1cm9wYS5ldS9lbGkvZGlyLzIwMTkvMTAyNC9vai9lbmc]
and focuses on six categories with high social and economic potential:
geospatial data, earth observation and environment, meteorological
data, statistics, company ownership, and mobility data. 

Under the regulation, public bodies are mandated to make designated
HVDs available free of charge, in machine-readable formats, and
through APIs and bulk downloads where relevant. The aim is to support
cross-border reuse and reduce technical and legal barriers for
innovators, researchers and public authorities. These requirements
apply alongside existing rules on personal data protection,
confidentiality, and intellectual property. 

In practice, the implementation is progressing but is lacking
evenness. Recent reporting and best practice studies show that while
some Member States already provide fully API-enabled HVDs, others face
challenges around technical infrastructure, licensing alignments and
coordination across institutions. To support compliance, the European
data community has published guidance on metadata standards, APIs and
reports, including dedicated documentation for data providers. 

To help users navigate this evolving landscape, our portal highlights
high-value datasets published by national and European authorities,
with direct links to APIs, metadata, and reuse information. Explore
the available HVDs and see how they are being used in practice. Take
the opportunity to maximise the impact and reuse of public data across
Europe, whilst complying with EU rules. 

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Publication Date/Time
2026-04-17T08:00:00+00:00
A brief update on EU rules and real-world implementation