Possible change of non-personal data sharing rules for boosting the economy

The MEPs adopted a report for the European strategy for data in February 2021 which aims to create the opportunity for the European companies to benefit from the potential of industrial and public data (e.g. the development of artificial intelligence as an EU’s priority). This report has been adopted within the framework of the economy and innovation boosting, which is necessary due to the economic situation caused by the pandemic. The strategy is a part of the first pillar of the Commission’s digital strategy.

The MEPs recognized that data are in the middle of the EU’s digital transformation which may influence all aspects of society and economy and the crises has shown the need for efficient data legislation that will support research and innovation. The new legislation will help tap into the potential and make data available to European companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and researchers. However, any change of legislation will be in line with the EU data protection rules notably the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Enabling data flow between sectors and countries will help to the European companies which is very needed since the global competitors (e.g. US or Chinese companies) are applying their ways of data access and use, and innovating quickly. However, as the success of the EU data strategy depends on information and communication technology infrastructure, this report intends to accelerate also the technical developments in the EU, such as cybersecurity, optical fibres, 5G and 6G. The changes must be in line with the EU’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, in which the digital sector also has a major role.

Parliament is set to vote on the committee report during a plenary session in March.