The Open Data Maturity Assessment: A roadmap for the next decade of
data sharing
For more than a decade, the Open Data Maturity (ODM) assessment
[https://data.europa.eu/en/open-data-maturity/2025] has helped track
the development of open data ecosystems across Europe. It
helps participating countries to better understand and strengthen
their data policies
[https://data.europa.eu/en/open-data-maturity/2025#dimensions/dimension_policy],
portals,
[https://data.europa.eu/en/open-data-maturity/2025#dimensions/dimension_portal]
metadata quality
[https://data.europa.eu/en/open-data-maturity/2025#dimensions/dimension_quality] and
data reuse.
[https://data.europa.eu/en/open-data-maturity/2025#dimensions/dimension_impact] 

As Europe's data market continues to evolve – driven by new
legislative proposals like the 'Digital Omnibus
[https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/egovernment/news/digital-omnibus-streamlining-digital-regulations]',
technological developments such as AI, and growing expectations around
data quality and impact – the ODM assessment must also adapt.
Drawing on legislative analysis, international benchmarking, technical
testing and consultation with Member States, the latest methodological
study [https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/studies] published by
the European Data Portal explores how the ODM framework can remain a
trusted and relevant benchmarking tool. It examines short-, medium-,
and long-term opportunities to strengthen the assessment. 

The study concludes that future ODM assessments should build on the
strengths of the current approach while introducing targeted
improvements. Rather than transitioning away from the existing
self-assessment model, it recommends a streamlined questionnaire to be
distributed in the short term, stronger independent validation
mechanisms, and a greater use of automated evidence to support and
verify assessment results. These measures aim to reduce reporting
complexity, strengthen the reliability of results and place greater
emphasis on real-world performance, while providing continuity and
preserving the collaborative approach valued by Member States. 

To support implementation, the study presents a phased roadmap
outlining practical steps to continuously improve the assessment,
ensure alignment with the evolving EU data policy landscape, and
ensure that the ODM assessment continues to provide valuable insights
into the maturity, performance and impact of open data across Europe
and beyond. 

Are you curious what countries are doing in practice to improve their
open data maturity? The latest ODM best practices report
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/studies] summarises a
selection of real country examples from the 2024 and 2025 assessments.
The report offers practical guidance and inspiration for governments
seeking to strengthen their open data ecosystems. This is one of the
ways the ODM assessment supports learning and knowledge-sharing. 

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Publication Date/Time
2026-09-18T08:00:00+00:00
The latest study presents practical recommendations to strengthen
the assessment while preserving the collaborative approach