New rules a "game-changer" for data economy

New EU rules to govern access to and the use of data will be "a game-changer" for the emerging data economy by providing much-needed legal certainty and guidelines, according to EPP Group MEP Pilar del Castillo.

Today, del Castillo secured the backing of the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee for her report on the so-called EU Data Act. The new rules concern connected machines and appliances which collect enormous amounts of data, be it mobile phones, industrial robots or even washing machines. Until now, harmonised rules on how this data is accessed and used have been lacking. The EU Data Act aims to close this legal gap.

The EPP Group wants to enable businesses and consumers to benefit from the opportunities created by such data, with adequate safeguards in place.

"The Data Act represents an opportunity we must not miss. An opportunity to optimise existing business models and processes, boost the development of new ones, create new value, structures and partner networks. In other words, an opportunity for competitiveness and innovation," said del Castillo, the Parliament's chief negotiator on the Data Act.

"Our fundamental principle is: the user must have access to the data produced by connected products and be able to share it. At the same time, it is vital that liability and transparency provisions ensure that intellectual property rights and trade secrets are respected."

"The Data Act will be a game-changer. A good example is a farmer: If he is able to access the data produced by his connected devices, such as the tractor or irrigation system, he will have more possibilities to innovate in the management of his resources. The Data Act will create a new data-agile ecosystem that enables easy access to an almost infinite amount of high-quality data.", del Castillo added.

MEP del Castillo underlined the importance of public coordination: "The EPP Group managed to strengthen coordination amongst public authorities. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a clear example: aggregated and anonymised location data from mobile networks was essential for analysing the spread of the virus. The Data Act will create an obligation to share data with public authorities in such exceptional circumstances, with the necessary safeguards for transparency and liability."

After today's vote, the Parliament is expected to confirm the result by plenary vote in March. The new legislation will then be finalised after negotiations between the Parliament and EU Member States.