European Commission’s Data Governance Act comes not a day too soon

The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a European Data Governance Act. The objective is to forge a framework in which data can be shared securely. This should significantly improve the availability and use (and reuse) of data in the EU. “It is absolutely welcome that the EU is finally taking initiatives to bring about a strong data economy. It is in fact high time for the EU,” said Geert Bourgeois, member of the new Parliamentary Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA).

Need for an internal digital market

The European N-VA group therefore fully supports the roll-out of a truly European internal market for data. “The internal market is our greatest asset, and we must make full use of it,” Geert Bourgeois says. “We urgently need a European innovation-friendly environment in which our SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups are given every opportunity for growth. In addition, the EU must urgently establish a capital market and invest much more in digitisation and innovation.”

Need to catch up

The EU is lagging far behind the US and China in terms of accessible data. On top of that, our most promising researchers are leaving the EU to work with the data of the Amazons and Googles of this world.

A small number of foreign players currently hold most of the data in the world. This is highly detrimental to European entrepreneurship, research and innovation, for example in the field of artificial intelligence.

“The interests that are at stake for the EU are great,” Geert Bourgeois warns. “Economic progress, technological sovereignty, a secure framework for European citizens, the safeguarding of European values, etc. The EU must not only catch up, but also have the ambition to become a world leader.”

To be continued…

Now that an initial proposal has finally been made, Geert Bourgeois will follow developments closely. “The devil is in the details, and that will be no different here. From within the European Parliament, I will ensure that a transparent balance is maintained between the protection of sensitive data and privacy on the one hand, and the accessibility of data for our companies and partnerships with third countries on the other.”