Common European Data Spaces

The European Commission has introduced 14 Data Spaces as a key component of its digital strategies. These data spaces aim to provide an efficient solution for sharing data across various sectors, including health, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, mobility, finance, public administration, skills development, and the European Open Science Cloud. These strategies are designed to:

• Utilise public data for social benefit: Make use of publicly available data for research that benefits society as a whole.
• Encourage voluntary data sharing: Foster a collaborative spirit among individuals to willingly share their data.
• Establish seamless data sharing: Create a framework that enables easy and secure data sharing among organisations.
• Promote data sovereignty and global competitiveness: Enhance data sovereignty and competitiveness, shaping how data is shared and used.

The Core Objective of the Common Data Spaces in the Global Economy

The Common European Data Spaces serve as an effective tool through which data generated across the EU can be reliably and securely accessed and exchanged. Through the initiatives, businesses and public administrations in the EU maintain control over their data while benefiting from a comprehensive framework that encourages innovation through secure, authenticated data sharing. 

Common European Data Spaces

The European Commission aims to develop data spaces across sectors/domains:

• AgriDataSpace: Optimising natural resource use and stimulating data-driven innovations in agriculture.
• Cultural Heritage Data Space: Digitally transforming Europe’s cultural sector and fostering content creation and reuse.
• Energy Data Space: Pioneering interoperable energy services for a carbon-free society by 2050.
• Green Deal Data Space: Utilising data to support GREAT initiatives addressing climate change, circular economy, and pollution.
• Financial Data Space: Promoting sustainable finance and market integration.
• Health Data Space: Facilitating secure and interoperable health data exchange to enhance healthcare systems.
• Language Data Space: Establishing a market for exchanging language resources.
• Manufacturing Data Space: Scaling up cross-sectorial data spaces for manufacturing.
• Media Data Space: Facilitating efficient sharing and extraction of data to promote economic growth in media ecosystems. 
• Mobility Data Space: Mapping existing ecosystems and proposing governance frameworks within the mobility sector.
• Public Administration Data Space: Improving transparency and accountability in public spending in the EU.
• Research and Innovation Data Space: Sharing research data across borders and scientific disciplines.
• Skill Data Space: Bridging the gap between education and labour market demands.
• Tourism Data Space: Exploring secure strategies for transparent control of tourism data access and reuse.

European Commission’s Initiatives in Data Governance

The European Commission, under the Data Governance Initiative, aims to strengthen the position of EU industries in data-sharing technologies, catering to businesses and public administrations handling sensitive data. It fosters the development of next-generation data technologies for secure, sustainable and interoperable infrastructures and services. 

The EU targets a 75% adoption rate of data-sharing technologies among businesses by 2030, deploying 10,000 climate-neutral, secure edge nodes for connectivity. The Commission employs various tools from the European Data Strategy, Digital Strategy, Digital Decade, Industrial Strategy, and digital investment programs to achieve these objectives.

Actions on the technological front under the EU Data Strategy contributing to reaching these goals are:

Initiatives under the EU Data Strategy: Transforming Data Sharing into Reality

1. IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) initiative encourages innovative breakthroughs and infrastructure projects, improving European data ecosystems and facilitating data sharing.

2. SIMPL offers open-source, secure middleware component solutions, promoting data access and interoperability among European data spaces.

3. ENISA’s cybersecurity certification scheme aims to increase trust in data sharing by providing a European-wide certification framework for ICT services, products, and processes.

Acts under the EU Data Strategy: Ensuring Secure Data Sharing 

1. The Data Act harmonises rules for fair data access, facilitating fluid switches between data service providers, and promoting interoperability, thereby improving data sharing capabilities.

2. The Guidance on mixed datasets ensures compliance with GDPR and EUdataFF, addressing data protection in cloud environments.

iSHARE: Enhancing European Data Spaces

As the Trust Framework for data spaces, iSHARE ensures secure data sharing while keeping data owners in control. By embracing iSHARE, organisations access a standardised, decentralised infrastructure prioritising data sovereignty and trust. iSHARE empowers businesses to navigate data sharing complexities confidently, upholding privacy standards and compliance regulations.
Through the Trust Framework, iSHARE supports transparent, secure exchanges, promoting collaboration and innovation while safeguarding data integrity and ownership. Join the iSHARE network to establish trust, credibility, and unlock growth opportunities.