The European Register for Protected Data: Public sector data at your fingertips

The European Union has created a European register that helps people discover public sector datasets which are not able to be shared as open data. The European Register for Protected Data held by the Public Sector (ERPD) is available through the European Data Portal and supports the reuse of valuable data while respecting privacy, confidentiality, and intellectual property rules. 

The register was created under the Data Governance Act, which recognises that some information held by public bodies, such as health, mobility, or business data, cannot be published openly. Instead, public authorities publish metadata explaining what data exists, who holds it, and how access can be requested. The ERPD acts as a European-level access point that brings this information together from across the EU. 

To make the ERPD work, each country sets up a national single information point. These national services feed structured metadata into the European register hosted on the European Data Portal. The portal already brings together over one million datasets from across Europe and now also includes a new layer of information on protected data. The use of Common European Standards ensure that the information can be searched and compared across countries. 

The register is aimed at researchers, businesses, journalists, and public bodies looking for data that could support innovation or work in the public interest. By improving transparency and discoverability, the ERPD supports responsible data reuse without weakening legal protections. Users can explore the register via the European Data Portal and contact national authorities to learn more about access conditions 

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