Council of the

European Union
Brussels, 23 February 2022
(OR. en)

6532/22

TELECOM 72
COMPET 117
MI 142
DATAPROTECT 48

COVER NOTE
From: Secretary-General of the European Commission, signed by Ms Martine
DEPREZ, Director
date of receipt: 23 February 2022
To: Mr Jeppe TRANHOLM-MIKKELSEN, Secretary-General of the Council
of the European Union
No. Cion doc.: SWD(2022) 45 final
Subject: COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT on Common European
Data Spaces

Delegations will find attached document SWD(2022) 45 final.

Encl.: SWD(2022) 45 final

6532/22 RB/ek
TREE.2.B EN
 EUROPEAN
COMMISSION

Brussels, 23.2.2022
SWD(2022) 45 final

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

on Common European Data Spaces

EN EN
1. Introduction1
The European strategy for data of 19 February 20202 announced that in order to speed up the
development of the European economy and to harness the value of data for the benefit of the
European society the Commission will invest in common European data spaces in strategic
economic sectors and domains of public interest. The strategy indicated that it would initially
support ten data spaces, however, additional data spaces could follow in order to ultimately
create a European data space – a genuine single market for data.
In its conclusions of 25 March 20213, the European Council recognised ‘the need to
accelerate the creation of common data spaces, including ensuring the access to and
interoperability of data’, and invited the Commission to ‘present the progress made and the
remaining measures necessary to establish the sectoral data spaces announced in the
European strategy for data of February 2020.’
This document aims to provide an overview of the common European data spaces that are
being developed in various sectors or domains in response to the European strategy for data.
First, it presents relevant horizontal aspects, ranging from the concept of common European
data spaces (Section 2), through data governance aspects and legislative measures (Section 3),
to necessary data IT infrastructures, including EU support programmes for funding in this
field (Section 4). Second, it describes the current state of play of the ten sectoral common
European data spaces that were announced in the European strategy for data as well as of a
common European data space in the media sector – announced in December 20204, and for
cultural heritage – announced in November 20215 (Section 6), while recognising that in other
sectors, such as tourism and construction, important work for the development of a common
European data space is also ongoing (Section 5).
Data has an ever-growing impact on how we produce, consume and live our lives. The list of
economic and social benefits of common European data spaces is long and ranges from more
conscious energy consumption, to smart mobility, precision agriculture and better healthcare.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of data, digital technologies and
infrastructures in our lives and demonstrated how our societies and economies can further
benefit from digital solutions. In this particular context, a well-functioning common European
data space for health, which has been marked as one of the priority initiatives by the European
Council, will make a crucial difference in tackling potential health pandemics in the future.
On 9 March 2021, the Commission presented its vision with a set of measures leading to
Europe’s digital transformation by 2030 in the Communication ‘2030 Digital compass: the
European way for the digital decade’6. The development of common European data spaces in

1
The views expressed in this Staff Working Document represent only those of Commission services, not of the
European Commission.
2
COM(2020) 66 final.
3
Statement of the Members of the European Council, 25 March 2021.
4
COM/2020/784 final.
5
C(2021) 7953 final.
6
COM(2021) 118 final.

1
strategic sectors and domains will constitute an important contribution to accelerating digital
transformation in these fields and realising the digital decade objectives.
It is clear that data and its socio-economic potential enhanced by the creation of common
European data spaces have an essential role to play both in Europe’s digital transformation
and economic recovery plans. As envisioned in the European strategy for data, the different
data spaces will be interconnected so that they progressively lead to a genuine European space
in which data is broadly shared and used, while fully respecting the rights of individual
persons and businesses over data. This will allow the full benefits of data to be reaped for the
European economy, society and research.
2. Common European data spaces – concept
In the vision set out by the European strategy for data, the creation of EU-wide common,
interoperable data spaces in strategic sectors aims at overcoming legal and technical barriers
to data sharing by combining the necessary tools and infrastructures and addressing issues of
trust by way of common rules7. A common European data space brings together relevant data
infrastructures and governance frameworks in order to facilitate data pooling and sharing.
According to the European strategy for data, the data spaces will include:
(i) the deployment of data sharing tools and services for the pooling, processing and
sharing of data by an open number of organisations, as well as the federation of
energy-efficient and trustworthy cloud capacities and related services;
(ii) data governance structures, compatible with relevant EU legislation, which
determine, in a transparent and fair way, the rights of access to and processing of
the data;
(iii) improving the availability, quality and interoperability of data – both in domain-
specific settings and across sectors.
Apart from data sharing obligations set out in Union or Member States legislation, in the
common European data spaces data will be made available on a voluntary basis and can be
reused against compensation, including remuneration, or for free, depending on the data
holder’s decision.
Key features of a common European data space
• A secure and privacy-preserving infrastructure to pool, access, share, process and use data.
• A clear and practical structure for access to and use of data in a fair, transparent,
proportionate and/non-discriminatory manner and clear and trustworthy data governance
mechanisms.
• European rules and values, in particular personal data protection, consumer protection
legislation and competition law, are fully respected.

7
COM(2020) 66 final.

2
 • Data holders will have the possibility, in the data space, to grant access to or to share certain
personal or non-personal data under their control8.
• Data that is made available can be reused against compensation, including remuneration, or
for free.
• Participation of an open number of organisations/ individuals.

There are different reasons why a data holder may want to share data9. Stakeholders indicate
that data sharing helps to boost efficiency across supply chains and to support faster and more
innovative product development10. Incentives for companies to share data include increased
access to data of other contributors in exchange for giving access to the data they hold,
analytical results derived from the shared data, the availability of services such as predictive
maintenance services, and reduced time and costs of product marketing.
Common European data spaces should be guided by the following design principles:
• Data control: driven by sector-specific needs, common European data spaces could
promote the development of tools to pool, access, use and share all types of data
favouring the development of common open standards and findable, accessible,
interoperable and reusable (FAIR) principles. In line with the applicable legislation,
data holders could use these tools to ease the uploading of data into data spaces, to
give or revoke their authorization to data and to change access rights and specify new
conditions of how their data can be accessed and reused over time.
• Governance: put in place an appropriate governance structure to ensure fair,
transparent, proportionate and non-discriminatory access to, sharing and use of data.
That structure should comply with existing provisions of horizontal (e.g. General Data
Protection Regulation, Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation11, ePrivacy
Directive12, Platform to Business Regulation13) and sectoral EU data-related
legislation (e.g. type approval legislation14, Payment Services Directive 215, Electricity
Regulation16, Intelligent Transport Systems Directive (2010/40/EU)17).
• Respect of EU rules and values: data spaces will comply with the applicable EU
legal frameworks on personal data protection18 and security, fundamental rights,
environmental protection, competition law, and other rules relevant for the provision

8
In the proposal for a European Data Governance, a data holder is defined as “a legal person or data subject
who, in accordance with applicable Union or national law, has the right to grant access to or to share certain
personal or non-personal data under its control” (COM(2020) 767 final).
9
Micheli M., Ponti M., Craglia M. & Berti Suman A. (2020). Emerging models of data governance in the age of
datafication. Big Data & Society, 7(2).
10
McCauley D. (2020). The global AI agenda, MIT Technology Review Insights.
11
OJ L 303, 28.11.2018, p. 59–68.
12
OJ L 201, 31.7.2002, p. 37–47.
13
PE/56/2019/REV/1.
14
OJ L 151, 14.6.2018, p. 1–218; OJ L 60, 2.3.2013, p. 1–51.
15
OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 35–127.
16
OJ L 158, 14.6.2019, p. 54–124.
17
OJ L 207, 06.08.2010, p. 1-13.
18
OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1–88.

3
 of data services in the EU, such as international trade commitments under the World
Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in Services and other trade
agreements. In addition, adequate technical, legal and organisational measures will be
put in place to prevent unauthorised access to personal and non-personal data.
• Technical data infrastructure: participants in common European data spaces will be
encouraged to use the common technical infrastructure and building blocks which will
allow the data spaces to be built in an efficient and coordinated manner. The common
technical infrastructure will have to take due account of the existing and emerging
sectoral frameworks, and integrate the cybersecurity-by-design principle and respect
the data protection by design and by default obligations enshrined in the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR)19.
• Interconnection and interoperability: to avoid fragmentation, high integration costs
and the creation of silos, the common European data spaces could develop on
international standards, INSPIRE (for spatial data) and FAIR principles to favour
interoperability, exploitation of data on EU computing infrastructures (e.g. cloud and
HPC) and be interconnected and progressively made interoperable to lead to a genuine
European data space, as envisioned in the European strategy for data.
• Openness: participation in common European data spaces is open to all actors
(organisations/ individuals) that respect EU rules and values and comply with the rules
defined in the scope of each EU data space. Openness would also serve to allow
competition between different product and service providers requiring data sharing
thereby avoiding any potential competition lock-in due to manufacturers’ specific
protocols.
Additionally, data collected in the various data spaces, when made available to the public,
should be presented in accessible formats to persons with disabilities on equal basis with other
citizens.
The above-mentioned features of the common European data spaces will allow data from
across the EU - from the public sector, businesses and individuals as well as research
institutions and other types of organisations (e.g. non-profit organisations) - to be made
available and exchanged in a trustworthy and secure manner. Businesses and individuals in
Europe will be in control of the data they generate20 while knowing that they can trust the way
in which it is used to boost innovation. This will enhance the development of new data-driven
products and services in the EU and thereby create the core tissue of an interconnected and
competitive European data economy.
The creation of common European data spaces is a pioneering venture. The multitude of
sectors and domains involved, each of them with their own characteristics and specific data
(e.g. personal health data, industrial manufacturing data) including appropriate reuse

19
OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1–88.
20
As regards personal data, this relates to facilitating the exercise of rights of individuals over their personal
data.

4
modalities for a range of different use cases, as well as the high number of interested
stakeholders, make it a challenging endeavour. Furthermore, even within a specific sector,
there is a complexity of diverse use cases, relevant actors with diverging interests in the data
use and specific data needs that might be hard to reconcile. A one-size fits all approach,
encompassing both the necessary technical data infrastructure and governance framework, has
its limitations in terms of being able to meet the specific needs of each vertical sector or
domain. It will, however, be key to identifying cross-sector commonalities and to developing,
where possible, common concepts, models and building blocks that can be used in various
sectors or domains, without compromising solutions already existing or emerging in the sector
specific domains.
In this context, the European Data Innovation Board (EDIB), proposed by the Regulation on
European data governance21 (the ‘Data Governance Act’), will play a fundamental role. It will
support the Commission in issuing guidelines on how to facilitate the development of
common European data spaces as well as identifying the relevant standards and
interoperability requirements for cross-sector data sharing.
Stakeholders in need of accessing new sources of data have already been organising data
spaces in different sectors. In strategic areas, such as those mentioned in the data strategy, the
Commission will facilitate the development of EU-wide common data spaces, working in
collaboration with relevant stakeholders, contributing to the definition of their objectives and
promoting the use of EDIB guidelines. By recognising them as common European data
spaces, the Commission will foster their deployment and adoption at EU level. In addition,
through the Digital Europe programme (DIGITAL), the Commission will fund the creation of
common European data spaces in specific sectors where the EU financial contribution will
have an impact on their deployment as European digital infrastructures. These data spaces
will be based on the common data infrastructure procured by the Commission in order to
assure interoperability across sectors.
It should be noted that in order to be considered a common European data space, a data space
does not necessarily need to receive EU funding or be officially recognised as such by the
European Commission.
Finally, as also highlighted in the European data strategy, the common European data spaces
will be potentially open to data and actors from across the world. International data flows are
indispensable for trade as well as for regulatory cooperation, the competitiveness of European
companies and to ensure the highest innovation levels. The EU welcomes companies, public
organisations and individuals from around the world to use the common European data
spaces, subject to compliance with applicable legislation and standards, including those
developed in relation to data processing. With an open but assertive approach, the EU will
ensure that companies and individuals can benefit from international data flows to the greatest
extent possible, while at the same time guaranteeing full compliance with Union’s data
protection and security rules. This also means ensuring a level playing field for all actors,
including when data is used abroad.

21
COM(2020) 767 final.

5
3. Relevant cross-sectoral legislation and measures
With the GDPR22 and the ePrivacy Directive23, the EU has put in place a solid and trusted
legal framework for the protection of personal data which has become an example to follow
for the various data protection regimes around the world. Consequently, the common
European data spaces will fully comply and operate within the rules of the existing legislation
on the protection of personal data.
The common European data spaces will also be in full compliance with existing competition
law provisions. The Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations24 and the Guidelines on the
applicability of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
on horizontal cooperation agreements provide rules for the sharing of know-how and
information exchange between businesses to be in compliance with competition rules. These
rules are currently being reviewed25. Articles 101 and 102 TFEU prohibit anti-competitive
agreements and the abuse of dominant market power, respectively. Additionally, the data
spaces will fully comply with the international obligations of the European Union, notably the
multilateral agreements in the World Trade Organisation and in its regional trade agreements.
In this legal context, the European strategy for data announced a package of legislative
initiatives to create the necessary overarching governance framework for a data-agile
economy, and to address common data sharing issues between different sectors and domains.
Specifically, as part of this package, the horizontal measures proposed in the Data
Governance Act, the planned measures in the Implementing Act on High-Value Datasets
under the Open Data Directive and the Data Act proposal will create trust and fairness in
relation to data access and reuse, thereby realising the full potential of data as an enabler of
social and economic welfare in Europe.
Through the provisions of the Data Governance Act, data sharing in common European data
spaces will be fostered by increasing trust in neutral data intermediaries that will help match
data demand and supply in the data spaces, strengthening voluntary data sharing mechanisms
across sectors and Member States and overcoming technical obstacles. The Data Governance
Act provides for the establishment of a European Data Innovation Board (EDIB), which will
assist the Commission in drawing up guidelines for common European data spaces,
addressing, inter alia: (i) cross-sectoral standards to be used and developed for data use and
cross-sector data sharing; (ii) requirements to counter barriers to market entry and to avoid
lock-in effects, for the purpose of ensuring fair competition and interoperability; (iii) adequate
protection for legal data transfers outside the Union; (iv) adequate and non-discriminatory
representation of relevant stakeholders in the governance of a common European data space;
(v) adherence to cybersecurity requirements in line with Union law.
Additionally, the Implementing Act on High-Value Datasets will make available more high-
quality public sector data that are considered of high-value regarding their socioeconomic
22
OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1-88.
23
OJ L 201, 31.7.2002, p. 37-47; New ePrivacy regulation is under negotiation, see European Council Press
Release of February 2021 for updates.
24
Notably OJ L 335, 18.12.2010, p. 36–42, and OJ L 335, 18.12.2010, p. 43–47.
25
SWD (2021) 103 final, p. 75.

6
potential of reuse by all, including businesses (especially SMEs), free of charge and in a
machine-readable format.
Furthermore, the Data Act proposal aims at enabling companies and consumers to have better
control over data and to ensure a fair distribution of value generated by data along the data
value chain. It lays down horizontal rules to boost data access and use within and across
sectors, thus making a major contribution to the development of the common European data
spaces at large.
In addition, in its May 2021 Communication "Updating the 2020 new industrial strategy:
building a stronger single market for Europe’s recovery"26, the Commission announced the
co-creation, with private and public stakeholders, of transition pathways across relevant
industrial ecosystems. This joint effort of evidence-gathering aims to enrich the understanding
of the current and future determinants of the performance of ecosystems, and of the policy
levers which can affect it. A preliminary analysis conducted by the Commission to explore the
relationship between sectorial data spaces and industrial ecosystems shows that the creation of
common European data spaces will enable industrial ecosystems to tap into the full potential
of data coming from multiple domains (Annex 2).
The above cross-sectoral legislative framework is complemented by a range of sector-specific
legislation on data access adopted in some fields to address identified market failures, such as
automotive27, payment service providers28, smart metering information29, electricity network
data30, or intelligent transport systems31. The Digital Content Directive32 also contributes to
empowering individuals by introducing contractual rights when digital services are supplied
to consumers who provide access to their data.
4. EU funding programmes and other data infrastructure initiatives
Several EU horizontal programmes will support the development of common European data
spaces through various funding actions, in particular with regard to building the necessary
data infrastructure – notably, DIGITAL for digital deployment initiatives, the Horizon Europe
programme for research and innovation and the Connecting Europe Facility for digital
infrastructures. The recovery plans of several Member States also support actions on
European data spaces. Furthermore, the Multi-Country Project in European Common Data
Infrastructure and Services33 will deliver a technical infrastructure for the deployment of data
spaces. Finally, other data infrastructure initiatives, such as the European Alliance for
Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud 34, industry driven GAIA-X or Digital Transport and
Logistics Forum (DTLF), are relevant for the development of specific aspects of the common

26
COM(2021) 350 final.
27
OJ L 188, 18.7.2009, p. 1–13.
28
OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 35–127.
29
OJ L 158, 14.6.2019, p. 125–199, OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, p. 94–136.
30
OJ L 220, 25.8.2017, p. 1–120, OJ L 113, 1.5.2015, p. 13–26.
31
OJ L 207, 6.8.2010, p. 1–13.
32
OJ L 136, 22.5.2019, p. 1–27.
33
SWD(2021) 247 final.
34
European Commission, Industrial alliances: Commissioner Breton chairs first meeting of European Alliance
for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, Press Release of 14 December 2021, see here.

7
European data spaces. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will also provide
funding for data spaces and infrastructures, as well as related research and innovation
activities, under certain conditions and circumstances.
4.1. Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)
DIGITAL (2021-2027) is the new EU funding programme for digital deployment and the first
financial instrument that focuses on bringing digital technology to businesses and individuals.
Under the programme, the Commission will provide strategic funding in five crucial areas:
high performance computing, cloud, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced
digital skills and accelerating best use of technologies across the economy and society,
including through Digital Innovation Hubs35.
In line with the objectives set in Regulation (EU) 2021/694 establishing DIGITAL36 and in
order to maximise the impact of the investments, the Commission will fund several of the data
spaces announced in the data strategy (Green Deal, mobility, manufacturing, agriculture,
finance, health and skills) as well as smart communities, language, cultural heritage, media
and tourism.
As indicated in the DIGITAL Work Programme 2021-2022, common support actions will lay
the basis for the development of each of the data spaces concerned through community
building and preparatory work on interoperability and governance. For other data spaces
(health, finance, media, public administrations, cultural heritage and language), DIGITAL
grants and procurement will support their deployment.
Furthermore, the DIGITAL Work Programme foresees funding for the set up and operation of
a Data Spaces Support Centre. A coordination and support action (CSA) funded under
DIGITAL will coordinate all relevant actions on sectoral data spaces and make available
(blueprint) architectures and data infrastructure requirements for the data spaces, including
possible technologies, processes, standards and tools that will allow reuse of data across
sectors by the public sector and European businesses37. In addition, the Data Spaces Support
Centre will have among its tasks that of supporting the work of the European Data Innovation
Board (EDIB), set up by the Data Governance Act38, in view of enhancing the interoperability
of data as well as data sharing services between different sectors and domains39, in
compliance with existing EU legislation on data protection.
In parallel, the Commission is procuring an open source smart cloud-to-edge middleware
platform that will address the needs of the different data spaces and enable the realisation of
the European Cloud Federation40. The platform will provide basic building blocks that serve
as an enabling layer for the interconnection of the various data spaces, public authority cloud

35
C(2021) 7914 final.
36
OJ L 166, 11.5.2021, p. 1–34.
37
C(2021) 7914 final.
38
COM/2020/767 final.
39
C(2021) 7914 final.
40
COM/2020/66 final.

8
resources, Artificial Intelligence ecosystems etc., by providing the required interoperability
mechanisms41.
For the first two years of implementation (DIGITAL work programme 2021-2022), the
Commission has reserved an overall indicative budget of EUR 410 million to support the
deployment of the common European data spaces, the Data Spaces Support Centre and open
data related projects, as well as the underlying cloud-to-edge infrastructure and services.42
4.2. Horizon Europe
From a research and innovation (R&I) perspective, the new EU programme Horizon Europe
(2021-2027)43 also contributes to the development of common European data spaces, among
other things. In particular, Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry & Space) of the programme’s Pillar II
(Global Challenges & European Industrial Competitiveness) contains a specific section (so-
called Destination) on world-leading data and computing technologies. Proposals for topics
under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following
expected impact of Cluster 4 as set out in Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:
‘Globally attractive, secure and dynamic data-agile economy, by developing and enabling the
uptake of the next-generation computing and data technologies and infrastructures (including
space infrastructure and data), enabling the European single market for data with the
corresponding data spaces and a trustworthy artificial intelligence ecosystem.’
Horizon Europe (HE) destination ‘World leading data and computing technologies’ is
structured around three headings for funding actions: (1) Data sharing in the common
European data spaces; (2) Strengthening Europe’s data analytics capacity; and (3) From cloud
to edge to Internet of Things (IoT) for European data.
The first heading focuses specifically on R&I actions to develop the tools to allow data
sharing in common European data spaces. In line with the FAIR principles (Findable,
Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable), the overall objective of the topics under this heading
is to make Europe the most successful area in the world in terms of data sharing and data
reuse, while respecting the legal framework related to security and privacy, fostering
collaboration and building on existing initiatives.
The other two headings of this destination also address R&I issues that are key for thriving
European data spaces, as is the overall objective of the topics in the second heading
(Strengthening Europe’s data analytics capacity) to make the EU fully autonomous in
processing, combining, modelling and analysing large amounts of data for efficiently deciding
on future courses of action with high accuracy and advanced decision-making strategies.
Furthermore, the third heading (From Cloud to Edge to IoT for European Data) aims to
capitalise on the ongoing paradigm shift of data processing and analysis from the cloud (in
data centres and centralised computing facilities) to the edge (in distributed, smart connected

41
C(2021) 7914 final.
42
C(2021) 7914 final. Additional activities in support of data spaces are included in other actions, e.g. EUR 155
million for actions supporting the Destination Earth initiative.
43
See Horizon Europe website.

9
objects). The overall objective of the topics here is to establish the European supply and value
chains in cloud-to-edge computing to Internet of Things (IoT) and tactile internet by
integrating relevant elements of computing, connectivity, IoT, AI and cybersecurity.
For the first Horizon Europe work programme (2021-2022) the Commission has reserved an
overall indicative budget of EUR 350 million to support the research and innovation actions
described above.
4.3. The Recovery and Resilience Facility
The common European data spaces also have an important link to the EU’s Recovery and
Resilience Facility (RRF)44. The RRF provides support to reforms and investments in
Member States, and aims to financially support reforms and investments by Member States
and aims to mitigate the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, to make
European economies more sustainable and resilient, and to support the green and digital
transition. Several Member States include investments in data spaces in their national
Recovery and Resilience Plans.
4.4. Multi-Country Project in European Common Data Infrastructure and Services
To better address gaps in the EU’s critical capacities, the Commission will facilitate the rapid
launch of multi-country projects, combining investments from the EU budget, Member States
and industry, building on the RRF and other EU funding.
In this context, the Multi-Country Project (MCP) in European Common Data Infrastructure
and Services is expected to support the creation of innovative data ecosystems as well as the
necessary data processing infrastructure and services. The implementation of this MCP could
be supported by two instruments: the ongoing Important Projects of Common European
Interest (IPCEI) to implement Next-Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services, and a
European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) to implement the common European data
spaces45.
The IPCEI would aim to deliver the next generation common federated46 cloud-to-edge
infrastructure and services and would include, among others, several relevant use cases47. It
would directly contribute to transforming/reforming the data processing sector by making it
more diversified, low power, ultra-secure, interoperable and distributed to efficiently respond
to the real time and data security needs of EU businesses, citizens and the public sector. The
IPCEI would be designed and launched at the initiative of the Member States, subject to
clearance by the Commission on compliance with State aid rules48.
The EDIC could assure cooperation between the Commission, Member States and
stakeholders maintaining at the same time a high degree of flexibility to facilitate the pooling

44
See European Commission Recovery and Resilience webpage.
45
SWD(2021) 247 final.
46
“Federated” refers to a technical infrastructure connecting distributed data resources and services.
47
See IPCEI on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS) Working Paper - Value Chain
Description, (2021) here.

10
of EU and national funding, cross-border investments, and co-investment models with private
stakeholders.
To guarantee an integrated approach between all objectives of the MCP, the Data Spaces
Support Centre and the newly launched European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and
Cloud49 will help to ensure that EU funding in standard data-processing capacities matches
the needs of common European data spaces.
4.5. Links with other data infrastructure initiatives
The common European data spaces have logical and coherent links with other regional,
national and trans-national initiatives for data infrastructures, such as the private sector
GAIA-X50, the Data Spaces Business Alliance51, OPEN DEI52 and the Digital Transport and
Logistics Forum53 which aim to create a federated54 data infrastructure based on European
values regarding data and cloud sovereignty.
The Copernicus55 component of the EU space programme will also contribute to the common
European data spaces, providing a sustained source of space-based earth observation data.
Benefiting from a free, full and open data policy, data spaces’ users would access and directly
exploit the Copernicus data and information, as well as the Galileo and EGNSS56 open service
in data-intensive platform infrastructures.
Coordination with other data infrastructure initiatives is essential to ensure interoperability
and reasonable reuse of common reference models, processes and building blocks in order to,
ultimately, achieve a pan-European data infrastructure and genuine single EU data market, as
envisioned in the European strategy for data.
5. Ongoing initiatives to develop sectoral data spaces
There are some sectors in the EU, other than those already announced by the Commission in
the European strategy for data, where work is also ongoing to harness the value of data and
gradually develop common European data spaces. These include tourism and construction.
In the tourism sector, the need to work towards more data sharing has been highlighted by
stakeholders as well as by the European Council57. As a first step, an EU Code of Conduct for
data sharing in tourism, led by industry and facilitated by the Commission, is planned to be
adopted by summer 2022. A coordination and support action (CSA), funded by the
Commission under DIGITAL, will enable the development of a multi-stakeholder data
sharing governance scheme, bringing together local data ecosystem stakeholders. This will

49
Launched on 19 July 2021, see European Commission European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud
webpage.
50
GAIA-X website.
51
See BDVA, FIWARE, GAIA-X and IDSA launch an alliance to accelerate business transformation in the data
economy, (2021) here.
52
OPNDEI website.
53
Digital Transport & Logistic Forum website.
54
“Federated” refers to a technical infrastructure connecting distributed data resources and services.
55
See Copernicus webpage.
56
European Global Navigation Satellite System, webpage.
57
European Council Conclusions, 27 May 2021.

11
allow them to jointly identify the data infrastructures needed to enable a data space for
tourism at EU level.
Construction is mentioned in the Commission’s update of the industrial strategy58 as an
ecosystem where the co-creation of transition pathways should be prioritised. Various
initiatives developed by the Commission and the ecosystem’s stakeholders to boost data use
and sharing are expected to benefit from the digitalisation of construction processes and the
creation of a level playing field, particularly for SMEs, and to allow better policymaking and
user information for built assets, accelerating both the digital and the green transition.
6. State of play of the announced common European data spaces
This section presents an overview of the state of play of the common European data spaces
listed in the European strategy for data as well as the planned data spaces for media
(announced in December 2020) and for cultural heritage (presented in November 2021).
Annex 1 provides a timeline (2021-2023) for all common European data spaces.
6.1. Common European industrial (manufacturing) data space
Data sharing in industry has the potential to power strong growth, help companies optimise
existing processes and develop new products, and create new businesses.
Accordingly, the Update of the 2020 New Industrial Strategy explains that an industrial
(manufacturing) data space will lead to more flexible and resilient supply chains59.
Some local ‘embryonic’ data spaces have emerged in the manufacturing sector in the last few
years. These have brought together companies holding and using data to agree on what data to
share as well as the rules for managing and controlling data sharing, and to convince their
industrial software providers to support the agreed data formats and semantics.
Several workshops with stakeholders in 2020 and 2021 have shown the need for speed and
scale to attract end users beyond the local ecosystems of embryonic data spaces. The
development of an industrial (manufacturing) data space requires a critical mass of
manufacturing companies to start sharing data among themselves. It also needs critical mass
to attract technology providers and get them to adapt their technology solutions to fulfil the
requirements for data sharing.
The planned intervention in DIGITAL can meet these requirements by building on the
embryonic data spaces and enlarging its uptake among end users and suppliers of solutions
(e.g. enterprise resource planning vendors for supply chain management, but also industrial
data platform providers). Several Member States have already started initiatives to support the
deployment of data spaces for manufacturing.
In November 2021, the Commission published a call for proposals60 within DIGITAL for a
coordination and support action (CSA) to establish a cooperative multi-stakeholder data

58
European Commission (2021). Updating the 2020 Industrial Strategy: towards a stronger Single Market for
Europe's recovery, Press Release.
59
COM(2021) 350 final.
60
European Commission, Preparatory actions for data spaces for manufacturing, see here.

12
governance, an inventory of commercially viable data platforms for manufacturing and a
blueprint for manufacturing-specific building blocks. This should contribute to the long-term
convergence of existing and new data-related initiatives in manufacturing by making use of a
common data space’s technical and soft infrastructure. The preparatory action will advance
and expand the dialogue among stakeholders by involving new participants and proposing
cooperative sustainable business models and incentive schemes to motivate participants to
share data.
On the basis of this preparatory work, two data spaces for manufacturing will be called for
deployment by relevant stakeholders61, in order to enable companies in different user roles
(e.g. supplier, client, service provider) to interact with large amounts of industrial data across
their organisational borders. Starting with two data spaces instead of an integrated one, each
with a specific use-case, is a way to quickly reach a successful implementation and growth
strategy. The medium-term objective is to create an integrated industrial data space. Finally,
the long-term objective is to integrate this with other data spaces.
These data spaces will build on existing ‘embryonic’ data spaces with manufacturing
companies, to further develop and encourage data sharing. This will showcase how
trustworthy data brokers can operate and develop sustainable operating models, coordinated
and financed by the participating companies.
The data spaces should preferably target data sharing for circularity in line with the Circular
Economy Action Plan62, also involving organisations from the circular economy (e.g. reuse,
repair, and remanufacturing, refurbishing or recycling companies to improve circularity).
Furthermore, cooperation with the European Digital Innovation Hubs for a broad uptake by
industry as well as with the AI Testing and Experimentation Facility for Manufacturing to
define European test and training datasets and to provide support for their establishment will
be encouraged.
Key actions:
• Under the first call for proposals of DIGITAL (Q4 2021), the Commission has committed
to fund a coordination and support action (CSA) to establish a multi-stakeholder data
governance, an inventory of existing data platforms for manufacturing and a blueprint for
manufacturing-specific building blocks. The CSA is expected to start in Q3 2022 and will
last between 12 and 24 months63.
• In addition, the Commission will launch a second call for proposals in Q3 2022, of a
duration of 24 months, to support relevant stakeholders to deploy and scale-up two data
spaces for manufacturing64.

61
The preparatory action is expected to deliver interim results, which will help to inform and prepare consortia
for the implementation action under the second call of the work program of DIGITAL.
62
COM(2020) 98 final.
63
European Commission, Preparatory actions for data spaces for manufacturing, see here.
64
Announced in C(2021) 7914 final.

13
6.2. Common European Green Deal data space
As announced in the Communication on the European Green Deal65 (‘EGD’), accessible and
interoperable data, combined with digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence solutions,
facilitate evidence-based decisions and expand the capacity to understand and tackle
environmental challenges.
The European Green Deal data space will be developed in phases.
The first phase, under DIGITAL Work Programme 2021-202266, will prepare the ground and
bring the relevant stakeholders together to develop a blueprint and a roadmap for the data
governance and technical architecture of the European Green Deal data space.
As announced in the European strategy for data, the Commission will also assess, in the
context of the ‘GreenData4All’ initiative67, the interaction between the INSPIRE Directive68
and the Directive on public access to environmental information69. The aim is to modernise
both Directives, following their evaluation in 202170, to align them with the current state of IT
technology and to promote the active dissemination and sharing of public, privately held and
citizen-generated data in support of the EGD objectives. This will contribute to the definition
and operationalisation of legal, organisational and technical interoperable building blocks to
share data in a machine-readable, agile and user-driven way, even beyond geospatial
communities, at the point of use in the European Green Deal data space71. It will also support
a phased and needs-driven roll-out of re-usable data services that are essential for monitoring
and reaching environmental objectives set out in, for example, biodiversity, resilience to
climate change, circular economy and zero pollution strategies.
Work on prioritising spatial data – also in alignment with other policies such as the Open Data
Directive72 – has already started73 and a steadily growing streamlined offering of
environmental and geospatial reference data across Europe is becoming available74 together
with a robust and comprehensive validation framework to check their compliance and
potential for interoperability75. The outcome of this work will, together with other relevant
horizontal legislation related to common data governance such as the Open Data Directive,
the proposal for an Implementing Regulation on High-Value datasets, the proposal for a Data
Governance Act and the proposal for a Data Act, provide the legal data governance
foundations for the European Green Deal data space.

65
COM/2019/640 final.
66
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the Green Deal data space, see here.
67
COM/2020/66 final.
68
OJ L 108, 25.4.2007, p. 1–14.
69
OJ L 41, 14.2.2003, p. 26–32.
70
European Commission, Sharing geospatial data on the environment – evaluation (INSPIRE Directive), see
here.
71
Kotsev A., Minghini M., Cetl V., Penninga F., Robbrecht J. and Lutz M., INSPIRE - A Public Sector
Contribution to the European Green Deal Data Space, EUR 30832 EN, Publications Office of the European
Union, Luxembourg, 2021.
72
OJ L 172, 26.6.2019, p. 56–83.
73
See the Repository for INSPIRE MIWP Action 2.1 'Need-driven data prioritisation' here.
74
See the INSPIRE Geoportal website.
75
See the INSPIRE Reference Validator website.

14
The Commission’s support for the creation of a Green Deal Data space will be driven by the
data needs of the following EGD priority-related strategies and action plans:
- 2030 Biodiversity strategy and the proposal for the EU Forest Strategy post-202076
- Zero-pollution action plan77
- Circular economy action plan (CEAP)78
- Strategy on adaptation to climate change79
- Farm to Fork strategy80
- Bioeconomy strategy81
In addition, the Commission will, through the EuroGEO initiative82, strengthen the EU’s role
in building a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and invest in the
Destination Earth project. The aim of Destination Earth is to develop a high-precision digital
model of the Earth to monitor and simulate natural and human activity. Destination Earth will
contribute to the EGD and digital strategy by unlocking the potential of the digital modelling
of Earth’s physical resources and related phenomena, for example by modelling climate
change, water and marine environments, polar areas and the cryosphere (parts of the Earth's
surface where water is found in solid form). The models will be made on a global scale and
will help speed up the green transition and predict major environmental degradation and
disasters. By opening up access to public datasets across Europe and their reuse, Destination
Earth represents a key component of the European Green Deal data space.
I - Destination Earth Data Themes (provided by European Commission, DG ENV)

76
European Commission, Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, see here; COM/2021/572 final.
77
COM/2021/400 final.
78
COM/2020/98 final.
79
European Commission (2021). Building a climate-resilient future - A new EU strategy on adaptation to
climate change, see here.
80
European Commission, Farm to Fork Strategy, see here.
81
European Commission (2018). A sustainable bioeconomy for Europe, Publications Office of the European
Union.
82
European Commission, About EuroGEO webpage.

15
In the context of the EGD zero-pollution priority, the European Green Deal data space will
provide re-usable data services on a large scale to assist in collecting, sharing, processing and
analysing large volumes of data relevant for assuring compliance with environmental
legislation and rules related to the priority actions set in the EGD.
Through a coordination and support action (CSA) under DIGITAL, the major stakeholders
would define the technical data infrastructure and governance mechanisms for achieving the
above-mentioned objectives. Horizon Europe actions will further deploy digital and data
technologies as key enablers and strengthen EU and international science-policy interfaces as
well as contribute to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems83.
Funding provided under DIGITAL will also support the creation of a data space for smart
communities, since cities and communities are an essential enabler of the EGD and
sustainable development goals. The first call, launched in November 2021, will support the
creation of its blueprint, while a second call in 2022 will fund its validation through pilot
projects84. This phase will be followed by the deployment of the data space and a network of
Local Digital Twins (funding to support the creation of an EU Local Digital Twin Toolbox to
accelerate the rollout of some 100 twins across the EU) integrated within the Living-in EU
initiative (LiEU).
In the context of Horizon Europe’s Pillar II (Global Challenges & European Industrial
Competitiveness), under Destination 7, the Commission will support an innovative action (IA)
on ‘Common European Green Deal data space to provide more accessible and exploitable
environmental observation data in support of the EGD priority actions’ for a total indicative
budget of EUR 10 million85.
The European Strategy for data refers under the European Green Deal data space to an action
for establishing a common European data space for smart circular applications to make
available the most relevant data for enabling circular value creation along supply chains.
Another key element of the European Green Deal data space is the collection and sharing of
data on value chains and product information. As established in the new Circular Economy
Action Plan86, and in link with the upcoming Sustainable Products Initiative (Q1 2022)87, this
will be achieved through the deployment of a Digital Product Passport (DPP) that gathers
such data to support sustainable production, enables the transition to the circular economy,
provides new business opportunities to economic actors, supports consumers in making
sustainable choices and allows authorities to verify compliance with legal obligations. This
entails identifying the key DPP data as well as protocols for secure and tailored access to
relevant stakeholders. The work will also contribute to the development of standardised and
open digital solutions for identification, tracking, mapping, integrity-check and sharing of

83
European Commission, Common European Green Deal data space to provide more accessible and exploitable
environmental observation data in support of the European Green Deal priority actions, see here.
84
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the data space for smart communities, see here.
85
European Commission, Common European Green Deal data space to provide more accessible and exploitable
environmental observation data in support of the European Green Deal priority actions, see here.
86
COM/2020/98 final.
87
Announced in COM/2020/98 final, see also the European Commission ‘Have your say’ webpage about his
initiative.

16
product information along its lifecycle ensuring interoperability across borders. The benefits
of the first generation of the product passports for all involved stakeholders as well as for
sustainability will be demonstrated at a later stage through actions in the common European
industrial (manufacturing) data space.
Key actions:
• Within the ‘GreenData4all’ initiative, announced by the European strategy for data, the
Commission will review (Q4 2022) the existing EU rules on environmental geospatial
data and on public access to environmental information88.
• Under the first call of DIGITAL (Q4 2021), the Commission has committed to fund a
coordination and support action (CSA) to create a sustainable data governance scheme as
well as a blueprint that connects existing national, regional and local data ecosystems and
enables public and private stakeholders to access relevant data. The CSA is expected to
start in Q3 2022 and will last between 12 and 18 months89.
• Under the first call of DIGITAL (Q4 2021), the Commission has committed to fund a
CSA to elaborate a blueprint for the creation of a data space for smart communities as an
enabler of the Green Deal and Sustainable Development goals90. It is expected to start in
Q3 2022, and will last for 12 months. This will be followed in 2022 by a DIGITAL call91
for a grant supporting cross-sector data pilots to validate and refine the blueprint, and for a
procurement to pave the way for the adoption of Local Digital Twins.
• ‘Destination Earth’92: supported by the Commission through the DIGITAL Work
Programme 2021-202293, this action will build an operational data ecosystem for the
development and operations of ‘Digital Twins’ of the Earth (launched in Q4 2021, it has a
duration of 24 months).
• ‘Digital Product Passport’: under DIGITAL94, the Commission will provide funding to
prepare the ground for a gradual deployment as of 2023 of digital product passports in the
key value chains of electronics (consumer and/or industrial), batteries and at least another
two of the priority products identified in the Circular Economy Action Plan95 (the call was
published in Q4 2021, with a view to starting the project in Q3 2022, it has a duration 24
months).
6.3. Common European mobility data space
The overall goal of the common European mobility data space is to accelerate the digital
transformation of the European transport sector and to fully reap the benefits of data for the

88
COM/2020/66 final.
89
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the Green Deal Data Space, see here.
90
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the data space for smart communities, see here.
91
Announced in C(2021) 7914 final.
92
COM(2020) 67 final.
93
C(2021) 7914 final.
94
C(2021) 7914 final.
95
COM/2020/98 final.

17
sector and for society at large. As stated in the Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy96,
digitisation and enhanced use of data in all modes of transport (passenger and freight) are
essential enablers for the transformation to safer, more efficient, accessible and sustainable
mobility. The mobility data space will facilitate access, pooling and sharing of data from
existing and future transport and mobility databases.
The mobility and transport sector has an important acquis of existing European frameworks
(some of which are regulated) which organise data sharing for both passengers and freight in
the domains of business-to-business (B2B), business-to-government (B2G), government-to-
business (G2B) and government-to-government (G2G) data sharing. Most of these
frameworks have their own governance, architecture, platforms, etc., and they already include
some important achievements as regards the harmonisation of data-sharing conditions. This
needs to be duly taken into account in the approach to the European mobility data space.
Furthermore, various digital initiatives at European level, driven by Member States or by
private actors, seek to provide the data governance, technical infrastructure and economic
models to create a data economy in the mobility sector.
The common European mobility data space will build upon existing EU and Member States’
legislation and infrastructures related to transport data. It should focus on promoting
interoperability by contributing tools to support convergence on governance and
infrastructure. Particular attention should be paid to enabling data sharing with linked sectors
such as buildings, energy, environment or health, for example to fully leverage the benefits of
e-mobility.
The legal framework of relevance for this data space is in constant evolution. The Sustainable
and Smart Mobility Strategy97 announced future legislative initiatives related to the sharing of
mobility data as well as the adaptation of existing frameworks in the area of mobility. These
legislative initiatives would also contribute to the development of the mobility data space.
In the automotive sector, type approval legislation provides for conditions of access of third-
party service providers to repair and maintenance information. This legislation is currently
under review.
In the air traffic sector, the Commission amended in 2020 the proposal for a Regulation on the
Single European Sky98 to include, among other things, new provisions on data availability and
market access of data service providers in the field of air traffic management.
The Commission will support the deployment of the common European mobility data space
by co-funding a number of projects under DIGITAL The specific aim of those projects is to
support the creation of technical infrastructures combined with governance mechanism to
facilitate easy, cross-border access to key data resources, based on and in full alignment with
existing and upcoming mobility and transport initiatives99. In this context, the Commission
will fund a first preparatory action to deliver a comprehensive mapping of the existing

96
COM/2020/789 final.
97
COM(2020) 789 final.
98
COM/2020/579 final.
99
Digital Europe Programme, Work Programme for 2021-2022, Annex, p47-49 Data space for mobility.

18
initiatives and their features and propose concrete actions to progressively harmonise them
and ensure their interoperability, where appropriate100. Also under DIGITAL, the Commission
will fund one or several project(s) to make large amounts of accurate and reliable urban
mobility data available and accessible in machine-readable format.
Additional financial support will come from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding
instrument101. In the field of intelligent transport systems (ITS), the CEF Programme Support
Action was launched in Q4 2021 to establish a stronger coordination mechanism to federate
the National Access Points of the ITS Directive102. The CEF work programme 2021-2027103
also allocated financial resources for technical support for the development of the mobility
data space.
In addition to European initiatives, various data ecosystems, platforms and marketplaces,
driven by Member States or private actors, seek to facilitate data sharing in the mobility
sector104. The common European mobility data space will benefit from these initiatives and
focus on promoting the interoperability by recommending common building blocks.
In December 2021, the Commission adopted new transport proposals with the aim to
modernise the EU’s transport system and support the transition to cleaner, greener and
smarter mobility105. In this context, the Commission proposed to update the 2010 Intelligent
Transport System Directive106, which will stimulate the faster deployment of intelligent
services, by proposing that certain crucial road, travel and traffic data, such as speed limits
and traffic circulation plan, is made available in digital format. This would further contribute
to data availability, reuse and interoperability.
Key actions:
• Under the first call of DIGITAL (Q4 2021)107, the Commission will fund a coordination
and support action (CSA) with the objective to make an inventory of existing mobility data
initiatives, identifying gaps, overlaps and common building blocks that could contribute to
the convergence of these initiatives and ways to integrate the mobility data space in the
emerging European data and cloud services infrastructure. The CSA is expected to start in
Q3 2022, and will last for 12 months.
• Under the third call of DIGITAL (Q3 2022), the Commission will support one or more
projects to make a large amount of accurate and reliable mobility data available and

100
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the Data Space for mobility, see here.
101
European Commission, Connecting Europe Facility, see here.
102
OJ L 348, 20.12.2013, p. 129–171 and Commission Implementing Decision C (2014) 1921, lastly amended
by Commission Implementing Decision C (2020) 7434 of 4.11.2020.
103
C(2021) 5763 final.
104
The Mobility Data Space operated by DRM Datenraum Mobilität GmbH.
105
European Commission (2021). New transport proposals target greater efficiency and more sustainable travel,
News Article.
106
COM(2021) 813 final.
107
European Commission, Data Space for Mobility, Funding & Tender Opportunities, see here.

19
 accessible in machine-readable format, to enable data analytics, artificial intelligence and
cloud technologies108.
• A revision of the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1926 on multimodal travel information
services to include mandatory accessibility of dynamic datasets, as well as an assessment
of the need for regulatory action on rights and duties of multimodal digital service
providers together with an initiative on ticketing, including rail ticketing, are planned for
2022109.
• Revision of Directive 2005/44/EC on harmonised river information services (RIS)110 in Q4
2022. That revision will aim to better integrate inland waterway transport into multimodal
logistics, increase inland waterway transport resilience and reduce negative externalities,
contributing to the interoperability of information services and data sharing in inland
waterway transport.
• Review the regulatory framework for interoperable data sharing in rail transport111 through
revisions of the technical specifications for interoperability for telematics applications for
passengers (TAP TSI) and freight (TAF TSI) in 2022.
• Establish a common dataset for reporting formalities in EU ports as provided for in the
European Maritime Single Window Environment Regulation (Q1 2022), and a multimodal
transport common data set for regulatory freight transport information, as provided for in
the electronic freight transport information (Q1 2023), facilitating digital exchange and
data reuse between businesses and administrations112.
• Propose rules on a trusted environment for the corridor data exchange framework to
support collaborative logistics113, based on recommendations from the Digital Transport
and Logistics Forum (DTLF). These rules will include the technical specifications for
digital architecture, connection and registration issues, data semantics, common services
and governance (2023).
6.4. Common European health data space
As announced in the 2021 Commission Work Programme114, the Commission is working on a
legislative proposal for a European Health Data Space (EHDS) planned for adoption at the
beginning of 2022. The EHDS is essential for advances in preventing, detecting and curing
diseases from the perspective of patients as well as for informed, evidence-based decisions to
improve the accessibility, effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare systems.
The legislative proposal will build upon and complement the horizontal frameworks
announced in the Data Strategy, in particular the proposal for a Data Governance Act, with

108
Announced in C(2021) 7914 final.
109
Announced in COM/2020/789 final.
110
Announced in COM(2020) 66 final.
111
Announced in COM(2020) 66 final.
112
Announced in COM(2020) 66 final.
113
Action 54 of COM(2020) 789 final.
114
COM/2020/690 final.

20
more specific sectoral measures in the area of health. The proposal will pursue the following
objectives:
• ensuring access, sharing and use of health data for healthcare delivery purposes
(primary use of health data), as well as control by individuals over their health data;
• fostering a genuine single market for digital health services and products, including
those based on AI;
• facilitating access to and reuse of health data for research, innovation, public health
policy-making and regulatory activities, in a privacy-preserving, secure, timely,
transparent and trustful way, with an appropriate institutional governance (secondary
use of health data).
On 3 May 2021, the Commission launched a public consultation115 on the EHDS, which has
fed into the preparation of the Impact Assessment to be adopted with the legislative proposal
in 2022. A Joint Action by 25 European countries and co-ordinated by the Finnish Innovation
Fund, Sitra, ‘Towards a European Health Data Space (TEHDaS)’ started in February 2021
with the aim to provide recommendations to the Commission by 2023 on several aspects, such
as governance, interoperability, data quality, infrastructures and citizens’ empowerment.
As part of the Impact Assessment, the Commission is currently studying the infrastructure
needs of the future of the EHDS, both in terms of supporting the use of health data for the
provision of healthcare and supporting the further reuse of health data for research and
innovation, policy-making and regulatory activities.
EU4Health116 will support the deployment and extension of the cross-border infrastructure for
the EHDS, covering both primary and secondary uses of health data.
As far as the primary use of health data is concerned, the Commission continues to work with
Member States to extend the geographical coverage of MyHealth@EU (eHealth Digital
Service Infrastructure)117, the infrastructure that has been developed to ensure continuity of
care for European citizens travelling abroad in the EU, to ensure that all Union citizens can
benefit from its services. The system is operational in 7 Member States, and several more are
expected to join in 2022. The Commission is also preparing for the expansion of data
domains, which currently include ePrescription and Patient Summaries, to allow the exchange
of images, laboratory results and discharge letters, and for the extension of the services to
allow patients access to their own health data. The aim is to achieve full EU coverage by
2025118. A pilot project funded by EU4Health was launched in 2021 to test the access of
patients to their own health data through MyHealth@EU.

115
See the European Commission ‘Have your Say’ webpage.
116
European Commission, EU4Health 2021-2027 – a vision for a healthier European Union, see here.
117
European Commission, Electronic cross-border health services, see here.
118
European Commission, Electronic cross-border health services, see here.

21
Alongside the planned legal proposal and under the EU4 Health Programme, the Commission
launched a project grant call in October 2021119 for a pilot project for designing, developing,
deploying and operating the infrastructure for the secondary use of health data that aims to
connect national health data authorisation bodies, research infrastructures and public bodies,
such as the EMA and the ECDC, across borders. The involvement of health researchers,
public bodies and the regulatory community is key to ensuring that this infrastructure can in
the future accelerate and make more effective research and policy outcomes in health, by
shortening data access times and simplifying procedures for data reuse. The possible use-
cases may include, for example, the analysis of the safety and efficacy of therapeutics. The
aim of the pilot project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a small-scale cross-border
infrastructure for reuse of health data while preserving the privacy and protection of personal
data of individuals and to test the infrastructure and governance arrangements for a future
large-scale deployment. The pilot project will reuse existing building blocks, e.g. the CEF
building blocks. It is expected to be launched in early 2022.
Furthermore, the Commission is working on the secure, cross-border accessibility of genomic
data with Member State signatories to the 1+ million Genomes Declaration, as part of a
EHDS. Financial support for this project is planned during 2022 under DIGITAL for the
deployment of an infrastructure that links national genomic datasets. Similarly, in 2022 the
Commission will also support projects through DIGITAL to deploy a sustainable resource of
anonymised cancer images that is accessible to researchers and innovators through the AI
Testing and Experimentation Facilities.
Key actions:
• The Commission expects to adopt a legislative proposal on a governance framework
establishing a European Health Data Space in 2022120.
• The Commission will fund a pilot project for an EU infrastructure ecosystem for the
secondary use of health data for research, policymaking and regulatory purposes121. The
EU4Health call for proposal will close in Q1 2022.
• Under DIGITAL, the Commission will support the cross-border accessibility of genomic
data with Member State signatories to the 1+ million Genomes Declaration (call 1,
DIGITAL Q4 2021)122. This new phase of the project is expected to start in Q3 2022 and
last between 36 and 48 months.
• Under DIGITAL, the Commission will support a project for deploying a sustainable
resource of anonymised cancer images (call 2, DIGITAL Q2 2022).123

119
European Commission, Action grants for developing a pilot project for an EU infrastructure ecosystem for
the secondary use of health data for research, policy-making and regulatory purposes, see here.
120
COM/2020/690 final.
121
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/eu4h-2021-pj-
06
122
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/digital-2021-
cloud-ai-01-fei-ds-genomics
123
https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/repository/document/2021-
46/C_2021_7914_1_EN_annexe_acte_autonome_cp_part1_v3_x3qnsqH6g4B4JabSGBy9UatCRc8_81099.pdf

22
• Under EU4Health124, the Commission and the Member States will continue to fund in 2022
the expansion of the geographical coverage of MyHealth@EU125, including the expansion
of data domains to allow the exchange of images, laboratory results and discharge letters.
Full EU coverage is to be achieved by 2025.
6.5. Common European financial data space
The Digital Finance Strategy126 announced the creation of a European financial data space.
Data has always been at the core of financial services and data-driven finance necessitates the
use of varied datasets, such as publicly and privately held personal and non-personal data.
Financial data includes publically disclosed company information and business registry data,
as well as data reported by financial institutions to supervisory authorities. Financial data also
relates to data about individual savings, mortgages, consumer credit, investments, pensions
and insurance. Furthermore, innovation in finance also increasingly relies on non-financial
data. Therefore, to ensure interoperability, the European financial data space needs to be
developed in close connection with data spaces in other sectors.
The European financial data space includes three main components.
First, digital access to publicly disclosed financial and sustainability related information. As
part of its Capital Markets Union Action Plan127, the Commission proposed, in November
2021, a regulation to set up a European Single Access Point (ESAP)128, which will be
established by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). The ESAP will be a
common source of free129 public information about EU companies and investment products,
regardless of where in the EU they are located or originated. It will interconnect various
sources of publicly disclosed information. ESAP is expected to be operational from 2024 and
will be gradually developed in a phased-in approach. In parallel with the ESAP regulation, the
Commission has proposed130 amendments to EU financial services legislation requiring public
disclosures to be made systematically available on ESAP and in a data extractable or
machine-readable formats. ESAP will in that way contribute to the creation of the European
financial data space and facilitate data sharing among various stakeholders. It is expected that
the availability of such high-value data will strengthen the use of technologies like artificial
intelligence, machine-learning and natural-language processing in the near future. In addition,
synergies with other initiatives are expected131. Starting from 2022, the set-up of the ESAP
will also be supported under DIGITAL, as announced in the DIGITAL Work Programme
2021-2022.
124
European Commission, EU4Health 2021-2027 – a vision for a healthier European Union, see here.
EU4Health is established by Regulation (EU) 2021/522 [OJ L 107, 26.3.2021, p. 1–29].
125
European Commission, Electronic cross-border health services, see here.
126
COM/2020/591 final.
127
COM/2020/590 final.
128
COM/2021/723 final.
129
Additional services may be offered by ESMA for a fee.
130
The Regulation establishing the ESAP is accompanied by a Directive and a Regulation, which specify in the
relevant EU legislation the information to be made accessible in the ESAP, as well as certain characteristics of
that information in relation to formats.
131
E.g. such as the EU translation tool eTranslation, the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS) and
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data.

23
Second, easier reporting and sharing of supervisory data among EU and national supervisory
authorities. The Commission has adopted a supervisory data strategy which aims to streamline
EU-level supervisory reporting and facilitate data sharing between supervisory authorities at
EU and national level, as well as making more information available to the industry132. The
strategy envisages the development of a common data dictionary to ensure consistency and
standardisation across the financial sector, making it easier to share and reuse data, and
contributing to making reporting requirements machine-readable and executable. In addition,
the Commission will continue the work in cooperation with the ESAP, in particular during the
development of the technical standards for the ESAP. The supervisory data strategy will help
enable the use of innovative technologies, including regulatory technology (RegTech) tools
for supervisory reporting by regulated entities and supervisory technology (SupTech) tools for
supervision by authorities. The strategy was adopted in November 2021133.
The final component is business-to-business and business-to-consumer data sharing and reuse
in the EU financial sector (open finance). The revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2)134
led the way in opening up data sharing on payments accounts. Further steps towards enhanced
data sharing and openness across and within the various types of financial services will enable
the financial sector to fully embrace data-driven innovation, in full compliance with personal
data protection and competition rules. The Commission intends to adopt a broad but gradual
and cooperative approach to open finance. The Commission plans to adopt a legislative
proposal for an open finance framework in 2022, building on and in full alignment with the
broader data access legislative initiatives.
To ensure maximum coherence and synergies among these three elements of the European
financial data space, the Commission will aim to use common governance structures to the
extent possible. The objective is to help integrate European capital markets, channel
investments into sustainable activities, support innovation and bring efficiencies for
consumers, businesses and authorities alike.
Key actions:
• Under DIGITAL, the Commission will launch in 2022 a procurement to deliver a
prototype of an ESAP-like architecture, as a first technical step in setting up the ESAP135.
• The Commission plans to adopt a proposal for an EU open finance framework in 2022136
to enhance access to and reuse of customer data across a wide range of financial services,
building on and in full alignment with the broader data access legislative initiatives.

6.6. Common European energy data space

A common European energy data space will benefit the green and digital transitions that are
currently underway in Europe. In particular, it will help to further integrate renewables as a

132
COM/2021/798 final.
133
COM/2021/720 final.
134
OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 35–127.
135
C(2021) 7914 final - Annex.
136
COM/2020/591 final.

24
source of energy production in an efficient way, increase the energy system efficiency, and
ensure a smooth and competitive transition towards the electrification of sectors such as
heating and transport.
The first steps to creating a common European energy data space have already been put in
place.
Firstly, energy-sector legislation (in particular the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package
and the Fit-for-55 Package137) and cross-sectoral data space building blocks, such as those
provided by the Data Governance Act, define the main elements to enable future-proof data
exchange across multiple parties in the energy sector (and beyond).
Secondly, various innovative national and EU-wide initiatives, including EU R&I projects
such as the INTERCONNECT138 large-scale pilot, explore the potential of data sharing
among companies and develop new use-cases for the benefit of the energy transition139. Many
of these projects interact in order to define general design principles, in particular through the
Bridge Initiative140 and the Open DEI project141.
To strengthen the European market for energy, including innovative energy services based on
data, these initiatives need to be connected so that they can be scaled up. Interoperability
between different platforms and initiatives is also necessary to create a European energy data
space in which (decentralised) renewable energy sources can be managed and CO2 emissions
from key sectors (e.g. transport, buildings) reduced. A data sharing infrastructure in the form
of a set of agreements, protocols and a governance system that defines who shall or can share
data, under what conditions and in what format, is therefore needed. Innovative applications
and services call for common baseline requirements in compliance with the data protection by
design and by default. These should provide consumers and citizens with the tools to
effectively exercise their rights in a digital energy market and continuously drive the energy
sector to maintain the highest cybersecurity standards.
In this context, the Commission is preparing a Communication “Action plan on the
digitalisation of the energy sector” (expected in 2022)142 that will outline the concrete steps to
support the creation of a European energy data space. In the Communication, the Commission
will propose actions to create a cyber-secure data exchange infrastructure in the energy
system, which can lead to innovative energy services for consumers and which promotes the

137
European Commission (2021). European Green Deal: Commission proposes transformation of EU economy
and society to meet climate ambitions, Press Release.
138
The project develops and demonstrates advanced solutions for connecting and converging digital homes and
buildings with the electricity sector. See here.
139
For example, Horizon 2020 has supported smart grid and digitalisation projects for almost 1 billion Euros
between 2014 and 2020 (COM(2020) 953 final).
140
Bridge is a project that provides a framework and support for Horizon 2020 smart grid projects: see the
Bridge Data Management Working Group website.
141
OPEN DEI is a project that provides a framework and support for Horizon 2020 data exchange projects
across sectors to cooperate: see their policy paper Design Principles for Data Spaces.
142
Announced in COM(2020) 299 final, roadmap of the initiative available at the European Commission
Digitalising the energy sector – EU action plan, Have your say webpage.

25
uptake of digital technologies in the energy sector while ensuring that the energy consumption
of the IT sector is sustainable.
While work is ongoing to identify the actions, some concrete steps are already being prepared.
On the one hand, detailed rules are being drafted143 on data exchange and governance as well
as on cyber-security, in line with the Electricity Directive144 that was reviewed as part of the
Clean Energy for all Europeans package. Also, as part of the renovation wave and the ongoing
work on energy efficiency, the use and sharing of data for more efficient and smarter
buildings is addressed in the Commission’s proposal for a revised Energy Performance of
Buildings Directive which was adopted on 15 December 2021145.
On the other hand, Horizon Europe’s 2021 work programme will fund an innovation action
(call for proposals closed in October 2021) aimed at achieving a higher degree of
interoperability between data platforms, making energy data available and re-usable, enabling
new market roles, market participants and energy communities, and enabling new digital
solutions and services supporting the energy transition146.
Under DIGITAL, the envisaged open source cloud-to-edge middleware infrastructure147 will
accelerate the development of the data exchange infrastructure for the energy data space.
Key actions:
• The Commission will publish the Communication “Action Plan on the digitalisation of the
energy sector” in Q2 2022148.
• The Commission will propose an implementing act for metering and consumption data in
2022 and a network code on cyber-security by the end of 2022149.
• Under the Horizon Europe work programme 2021-2022150, the Commission will launch
an Innovation Action supporting the energy data space, which will enable access to and
use of energy data across Europe. The project is expected to start in Q3 2022.

6.7. Common European agriculture data space

In the European strategy for data, the Commission announced that it will work towards a
common agricultural data space. This data space should facilitate trustworthy pooling and
sharing of agricultural data between private stakeholders (e.g. farmers, machinery companies,

143
Implementing Acts and a network code as foreseen by the Internal Electricity Market Directive, respectively.
144
OJ L 158, 14.6.2019, p. 125–199.
145
Revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, see here.
146
European Commission, Establish the grounds for a common European energy data space, Funding & tender
opportunities webpage.
147
Developed and deployed under the first work programme of the Digital Europe Programme and the
Connected Europe Facility 2 Digital.
148
Announced in COM(2020) 299 final, roadmap of the initiative available at the European Commission
Digitalising the energy sector – EU action plan, Have your say webpage.
149
Announced in COM(2020) 66 final, roadmap of the initiative available at the European Commission Access
to electricity metering and consumption data – requirements, Have your say webpage.
150
European Commission, Establish the grounds for a common European energy data space, Funding & tender
opportunities webpage.

26
data service providers), as well as with public authorities. Tailored use of data and data
analytics in the field of agriculture contributes to increased competitiveness and the
sustainability performance of the sector, e.g. through increasing the effectiveness of precision
farming applications, and thus to the ambitions laid out in the Common Agricultural Policy
and the Farm-to-Fork-Strategy. Several actions are already in place for improving
discoverability of and accessibility to interoperable European agricultural data by re-using the
European Spatial Data Infrastructure (INSPIRE Directive).
During a series of webinars held with different stakeholders and Member States in 2020, there
were calls for more stock-taking of ongoing private and public initiatives in the field of
agricultural data sharing and data interoperability, as well as to allow for more time for
gaining experience with the implementation of the code of conduct on agricultural data
sharing by contractual agreement, launched in 2018 by EU stakeholders151. Other questions
were related to e.g., the design, input data, and infrastructure aspects, as well as to governance
structures and business models. The Council Presidency, in cooperation with the Commission,
also addressed the topic of the handling of agricultural data.152
Against this background, the Commission announced at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council
in December 2020 that the implementation of such a data space would be preceded by a
preparatory coordination and support action (CSA)153. This CSA, which aims at developing
the approach for the data space with stakeholders and Member States, is planned in the first
work programme of DIGITAL (Q4 2021). The CSA, expected to start in Q3 2022, will
contribute to develop a governance and business model for the data space.
Certain actions under the first Work Programme of Horizon Europe Cluster 6 will boost the
development of this data space.154 In particular, two calls in 2021 are expected to generate
additional knowledge, including on data economical aspects, the potential of big data in
agriculture and on digital and data infrastructure, which should be especially beneficial for the
development of a business model for the data space155. The data space will also benefit from

151
European Commission, Code of conduct developed by COPA-COGECA + CEMA, EIP-AGRI, see here.
152
At the end of 2020, a conference was organised under the German Council presidency on digitalisation in
agriculture, including a track on agricultural data and two Round Tables with Member States.
153
See European Council, Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 15-16 December 2020.
154
Cluster 6 of the Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe will focus on Food,
Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment. The two calls are titled “Development of the
markets and use of digital technologies and infrastructure in agriculture – state of play and foresight: digital and
data technologies for the agricultural sector in a fast changing regulatory, trade and technical environment” and
“Data economy in the field of agriculture – effects of data sharing and big data”.
155
Concretely, the scope of these two calls under Horizon Europe are expected to cover - among others- the
following activities, of direct relevance for the development of the data space: 1. Quantitative and qualitative
analyses of the effects of various data sharing and marketing and use options for the actors along the agri-food
supply chain and the development of scenarios for the data economy. 2. Assessing the implications of the
ongoing policy-making process at EU level including the development of relevant legislation. 3. Assessing the
effects of multi-level governance systems in the EU under consideration of the situation and conditions in
various Member States as well as effects of international (trade) relations. 4. Reflecting on multiple data-sharing
business and governance approaches and technical solution in data sharing in the agricultural sector. 5.
Developing innovative approaches to forecast the markets and the uptake of digital technologies and digital
infrastructure under consideration of fast-changing regulatory framing conditions in the fields of data, digital and
machinery technologies and of agricultural policies.

27
the development of the Horizon Europe candidate partnership “Agriculture of Data”156,
planned for the work programme 2023/24, for which the preparatory work with Member
States and stakeholders begun in spring 2021.
Horizon 2020 has funded a number of noteworthy projects in this domain. Some of these aim
to tackle questions related to privately and publically held agricultural data and data
interoperability, and other forthcoming large-scale projects aim to build digital platforms to
support digital innovation in agriculture. For instance, the ATLAS project157, with a budget of
EUR 15 million, started in the end of 2019 and will conclude until early 2023. The project
aims to deliver an interoperability framework among several heterogeneous data sharing
systems.158 Another project OpenDEI159 has defined a set of general design principles for data
spaces applicable across several sectors including agriculture. In the field of public data, there
are national and European initiatives on sharing data from the Integrated Administration and
Control System, of which some reuse the principles and technologies of INSPIRE.
Key actions:
• Under the first DIGITAL call for proposals (Q4 2021), the Commission will support a
coordination and support action (CSA) aimed at developing a governance and business
model for the data space with stakeholders and Member States160. The CSA is expected to
start in Q3 2022 and last for 18 months.

6.8. Common European data spaces for public administrations

6.8.1. Public administrations legal data space
In line with priorities highlighted by the European strategy for data for the common European
data spaces for public administration, the legal data space aims at providing easily accessible,
reusable, interoperable data in the area of legislation and case-law across the EU. These data
can be then used in decision-making, research and the development of innovative legal tools.
The legal data space will support legal practitioners, public administrations and society in
general as well as further uphold justice and the rule of law. Building a legal data space
requires closer cooperation among EU institutions and with Member States. The Publications
Office of the European Union (OP) will consolidate a number of initiatives to lay the
foundations of the legal data space. The OP works to promote interoperability, both at EU and
national level, and to facilitate linking, access to and reuse of EU and national legal data.

156
The principal objectives of the Horizon Europe candidate partnership Agriculture of Data are the exploitation
of the potential of data technologies and earth observation offer to support sustainable agricultural production
and policy monitoring and evaluation. Results of the activities carried out under this partnership can be expected
to also provide indications how agricultural data can be capitalised through data technologies. For more
information about the partnership, see European Commission, Agriculture of data website.
157
ATLAS (2020). Agricultural interoperability and analysis system.
158
An interoperability layer is being developed to allow secure interconnection of sensors with machines on a
hardware level, as well as the connection of the field systems to data processing services. The data sharing
system is demonstrated in several use cases.
159
OPEN DEI is a project that provides a framework and support for Horizon 2020 data exchange projects
across sectors to cooperate, see their policy paper Design Principles for Data Spaces.
160
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the data space for Agriculture, see here.

28
Specifically, the OP contributes to the development of common standards to exchange legal
information held at European and national level, by focusing on:
- the development of interinstitutional standards for the structuring of content and the
secured and automated exchange of legal data within the Interinstitutional Metadata and
Formats Committee (IMFC)161;
- providing EU related interoperability assets in the field of reference data (such as
ontologies, core vocabularies, controlled vocabularies) contributing to better quality,
discoverability and semantic interoperability of EU legal data;
- making these assets available for reuse to facilitate data exchange with and among
Member States;
- raising awareness about the benefits of the common standards, core vocabularies and
semantic interoperable models, and interoperable frameworks in the domain of legal
information and documentary management (such ELI and ECLI162) within the EU
institutions and with Member States.
To facilitate access to and linking and reuse of EU and national legal data, the OP has already
put in place a common repository for automatic search and retrieval of legal data from the
EUR-Lex website in open formats and is working on the development of infrastructure and
tools such as:
- linking the ECLI-based search engine to EUR-Lex, allowing search for EU and national
judicial decisions (to be operational in February 2022);
- offering a solution for a common search platform based on ELI metadata to offer an
alternative search of EU and national legislation;
- implementing the extension of the ELI standard that covers draft legislation, thus allowing
cross border findability of documents in the legislative process;
- making complete sets of files of chosen EU legal data available for download (legal data
dump), to facilitate further reuse of this data in research, legal publishing and legal tech,
among others;
- implementation on EUR-Lex of ELI identifiers for articles of EU legal acts for more
precise linking, among others, between EU law and national law (to be available in 2022);
- a renovated digital repository infrastructure to underpin the hosting and dissemination of
EU legal data, as well the modalities of operation of the repository for legislative and
regulatory data coming from Member States.
Key actions:

161
See IMMC Core Metadata website.
162
Council conclusions inviting the introduction of the European Legislation Identifier (ELI) (2012/C 325/02)
(OJ C 325, 26.10.2012, p. 3) and Council conclusions inviting the introduction of the European Case Law
Identifier (ECLI) and a minimum set of uniform metadata for case law (2011/C 127/01) (OJ C 127, 29.4.2011, p.
1).

29
• Consolidation and streamlining of a number of initiatives by the OP to lay the foundations
of the legal data space163.

6.8.2. Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS)

Public procurement data is essential to improve transparency and accountability of public
spending, fighting corruption and improving spending quality.
In accordance with the European strategy for data, the Commission will elaborate a data space
for public procurement data covering both the EU dimension, e.g. the Tenders Electronic
Daily (TED)164 - an online portal for public procurement notices form across the EU,
managed by the Publications Office of the EU and the national dimension. The goal will be
the setup of a Public Procurement Data Space (PPDS) at EU level in a federated manner165.
As a first step, under the Work Programme 2021-2022, DIGITAL will fund a procurement
action166 aimed at increasing the interoperability and interconnection of existing open data
sets, to facilitate a more comprehensive overview of public procurement in the EU, including
many key policy areas. The procurement action will be based on an existing pilot project,
which combines data sets on Public Procurement from different Member States and data from
TED. The mapping will be done using the ontology on eProcurement167 funded under the
previous Multiannual Financial Framework through the ISA2 programme. The ontology will
be the foundation for a common understanding of the concepts that will allow the linking and
reuse of different datasets within the public procurement data space. The current release of the
ontology covers the eNotification phase of the procurement life cycle and it is intended to
cover all phases of the procurement life cycle.
An open-source pilot project integrating Member States open datasets with EU data from
TED is currently ongoing and will be used to build the foundation of the PPDS. The drafting
of the functional requirements of a new analytic IT tool for processing above thresholds data
is ongoing.
The architecture of the PPDS was presented during a meeting with the Multi-Stakeholders
Expert Group on eProcurement168 at the end of April 2021. The participants expressed
overwhelming support for the project.
The PPDS foresees a gradual implementation and will allow Member States to share their
openly available public procurement data in a collaborative manner.
Key actions:

163
COM(2020) 66 final.
164
See the Tenders Electronic Daily website.
165
A federated data infrastructure refers to a technical infrastructure connecting distributed data resources and
services.
166
C(2021) 7914 final.
167
See About eProcurement Ontology here.
168
See Multi-stakeholder Expert Group on eProcurement webpage.

30
• Procurement action under DIGITAL Work Programme 2021-2022 to map the data based
on the EU eForms notices169 and the eProcurement ontology170. The duration of the action
will be 24 months.
6.8.3. Public administrations security data space for innovation
In the AI expert group for home affairs, Member States pointed out on numerous occasions
that a dedicated security data space would be a useful and necessary initiative to generate and
share, in compliance with personal data protection rules, sufficient quantities of high quality
data to facilitate and accelerate the development of AI technologies for law enforcement and
security purposes. The scarcity of high quality and quantity of training and testing data
constitutes a significant hurdle for security innovation by Member States authorities and EU
Agencies.
The security data space for innovation was announced in the Commission’s Communication
on the EU Strategy to tackle Organised Crime 2021-2025171, published on 14 April 2021. This
data space will lay the foundations of a federated data infrastructure172 at EU level specifically
tailored to the needs of security and immigration stakeholders, including national authorities,
EU agencies in charge of European security and justice representatives173.
The Commission will support the creation of such data space. In the 2021-2022 Work
Program of DIGITAL, there is an action to lay down the framework of a federated data
architecture174 at EU level for security innovation by funding the creation of the national
components of a European security data space for innovation. This would allow innovation
and development by setting up an EU-wide ecosystem for sharing, developing, testing,
training and validating algorithms for AI tools for law enforcement and security purposes
based on various different types of datasets, including pseudo operational and anonymized
datasets, in line with the European strategy for data and in full compliance with applicable
data protection rules. A call for proposal will be launched in Q1 2022, with the objective of
having the selected projects starting in Q4 2022, for the participation of at least 6 law
enforcement agencies and two businesses in the value of EUR 5-10 million in the form of a
grant requiring 50 % co-financing.
The governance of the European security data space will follow a hybrid model, namely a
federation of national and local data spaces with central services at European level. It will
require an incremental development in the coming years, which necessarily must comply with
the existing legal framework and be in line with the competences of all stakeholders as
conferred by their respective legal instruments.

169
eForms notices as defined in OJ L 272, 25.10.2019, p. 7–73.
170
C(2021) 7914 final.
171
COM (2021) 170.
172
A federated data infrastructure refers to a technical infrastructure connecting distributed data resources and
services.
173
C(2021) 7914 final.
174
A federated data architecture refers to a technical architecture connecting distributed data resources and
services.

31
The establishment of the European security data space for innovation would entail the
definition and development of common training data sets, data quality control,
documentation, testing and validation procedures (based on the new requirements in the AI
proposal and the future harmonised standards for their implementation), cloud-based storage
and computing capabilities, etc.
The European security data space will be grounded on the existing legal instruments setting
out competences and responsibilities for the Member States law enforcement authorities as
well as the European Agencies responsible for justice and home affairs, in particular Europol
and eu-LISA. These agencies shall play a key role in the governance of the security data
space, considering its hybrid nature.
This data space will contribute to foster security research and development of AI
technologies. It will strengthened technological sovereignty by creating high quality datasets
that would enable national law enforcement authorities to develop and validate their own
digital tools, which would 1) eliminate the threat of malicious interference of third
countries/parties; 2) reduce the dependence on third-country vendors and allow for setting
quality standards at EU level; and 3) increase the technological capabilities of national
authorities.
Key actions:
• Under DIGITAL, the Commission will launch a call for proposals (Q1 2022) by simple
grant (50% co-funding rates) to lay down the framework of a federated data architecture175
at EU level for the security data space for innovation176. Projects are expected to start in
Q4 2022.

6.9. Common European skills data space

High-quality data on qualifications, learning opportunities, jobs and skills will feed the
creation of this data space. Several Commission’s initiatives, such as reference frameworks
for qualifications177 and for digital skills and competence178, the European skills classification
(ESCO)179 and the Europass e-portfolio180, increase transparency of information on people’s
skills, qualifications and learning opportunities and deliver on the European Skills Agenda181.
The European skills data space will aim at sharing and accessing skills data for various
purposes, from analytical and statistical purposes to policy development or reuse in innovative

175
A federated data infrastructure refers to a technical infrastructure connecting distributed data resources and
services.
176
C(2021) 7914 final.
177
OJ C 189, 15.6.2017, p. 15–28.
178
European Commission (2017). DigComp 2.1: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens with eight
proficiency levels and examples of use, JRC Publications Repository; European Commission, European e-
Competence Framework, see here.
179
European Commission, Classification of European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations, see
here.
180
OJ L 112, 2.5.2018, p. 42–50.
181
European Commission, European Skills Agenda website.

32
applications, as well as at providing easy, cross-border access to key datasets. The European
skills data space will also aim to reduce the skills mismatches between education and training
systems on the one hand and labour market needs on the other. Besides improving skills
intelligence, this data space will deliver services to its users, with recommendations of
learning opportunities to support their upskilling efforts, tailored to the information on their
skills profiles.
On 25 October 2021, the Commission launched the European digital credentials for learning
platform182, thus enlarging the pool of data on which the European skills data space will be
built. Through this platform, individuals can easily share their learning achievements in a
secure digital environment, when applying for a job or for further studies and training. It also
helps employers, education and training providers to quickly confirm if someone’s digital
diplomas and certificates are genuine and accurate.
The skills data space will be created in collaboration with the several EU agencies such as the
European Centre for Development and Vocational Training183, the European Labour
agency184 and European Training Foundations185. 18 Member States joined a pilot project in
2020 and some of them have already implemented the European digital credentials for
learning in their digital ecosystem.
Reflections are currently on-going on the full scope of the skills data space, including relevant
data available at national and European level. Relevant national level data could relate to
national skills and occupations classifications, national platforms on learning and national
qualification registers. Relevant European level data could cover the Skills Online Vacancy
Tool186 which presents information on the jobs and skills employers demand based on online
job advertisements in 28 European countries and data from the European Skills classification
(ESCO). Also future initiatives are relevant in this context such as forthcoming Commission
proposals for individual learning accounts and on the European approach to micro-credentials
could lead to more national data on learning being shared at the European level.
Under DIGITAL first Work Programme 2021-2022, a coordination and support action will
call on the relevant stakeholders to explore possible options and conceptual approaches for the
development and deployment of the skills data space.
Key actions:
• Under DIGITAL first Work Programme, the Commission launched a call for proposals
(Q4 2021) for a coordination and support action (CSA) to engage all stakeholders and
explore conceptual approaches for the future deployment of the skills data space187. The
CSA is expected to start in Q3 2022 and last for 12 months.

182
European Digital Credentials for Learning, see here.
183
See European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, see here.
184
European Labour Authority, see here.
185
European Training Foundation, see here.
186
See webpage here.
187
European Commission, Preparatory actions for the data space for skills, see here.

33
6.10. European Open Science Cloud
The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)188 brings together institutional, national and
European stakeholders to develop an inclusive research data and services ecosystem in
Europe. As requested by the Council189, EOSC is being implemented since 2018 as a trusted
open data environment to allow reliable reuse of research data to European researchers,
innovators, companies and citizens.
There is an enormous innovation potential arising from combining research data with public
and private data in all key sectors of the European data economy. The European strategy for
data recognised EOSC as the basis for a science, research and innovation data space to be
articulated with the new sectoral data spaces foreseen by the Strategy.
The long term objective of the EOSC is to enable a step change across scientific communities
and research infrastructures in the EU towards seamless access, FAIR (Findability,
Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) management and reliable reuse of research
data and all other digital objects produced along the research life cycle (e.g. methods,
software and publications). The EOSC ultimately aims to develop a 'Web of FAIR Data and
services' for science in Europe upon which a wide range of value-added services can be built.
These range from visualisation and analytics to long-term information preservation or the
monitoring of the uptake of open science practices190.
Following a preliminary phase of implementation (2018-2020) essentially based on EU grants
(Horizon 2020 programme), EOSC has entered its second phase of implementation (2021-
2030) as a new Co-programmed European Partnership in the Horizon Europe programme.
In July 2020, the EOSC Association, a legal entity, was established to govern the EOSC and
provide a single voice to the broader EOSC stakeholder community. The membership of the
association has been rapidly expanding to overtake 150 institutional members and 50
observers. A new EOSC European partnership was launched following the signing of the
“Memorandum of Understanding for the Co-programmed European Partnership for the
EOSC” by the European Union, represented by the Commission, and the EOSC Association
on 31 July 2021191. The partnership will ensure, until the end of 2030, a coordinated approach
from the Commission and the stakeholders to investments and initiatives in the EOSC
ecosystem. An EU investment of almost EUR 500 million and an in-kind contribution of the
partners of also EUR 500 million are foreseen in the period 2021-2027. The aim is to improve
the storing, sharing and reusing of research data across borders and scientific disciplines192.

188
A complete list of relevant documents on the European Open Science Cloud is available in the EOSC
webpage.
189
European Council conclusions on the European Open Science Cloud - (9291/18),
Council conclusions on shaping Europe's digital future (8711/20).
190
European Commission, European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), see here.
191
EOSC Association and the European Commission (2021). Memorandum of Understanding for the European
co-programmed partnership for the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), see here.
192
European Commission (2021). Launch ceremony of the EOSC European Partnership during the R&I Days
2021, Press Release.

34
A new tripartite EOSC governance framework has been set up which was welcomed by the
Council193 in December 2020. The three parties include the EU, represented by the
Commission, the European research community, represented by the EOSC Association, and
EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, represented through a
Steering Board set up in March 2021 as an expert group of the Commission.
In 2021, an EOSC Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)194 was co-developed
with the European research community and the EOSC governance framework. This Agenda
sets the general, specific and operational objectives of the EOSC partnership until 2030, with
key performance indicators and detailed priorities for 2021 and 2022. The implementation of
the Agenda will follow a three-stage approach:
• Stage 1 (2021–2022): the core technical functions that enable the operations of the
EOSC will be deployed (the so called EOSC core) to allow search and access
functionalities and the federation of existing infrastructures with associated rules of
engagement and governance.
• Stage 2 (2023–2024): expansion of the core data infrastructure with services that
support the full cycle of workflows for scientific research in key thematic areas.
Moreover, during this period it is expected that the kick off and development of pilot
projects and demonstrators to link EOSC to the wider public sector and the private
sector will begin.
• Stage 3 (2025–2027 and beyond): in addition to European infrastructures, the national
research infrastructures delivered from the Member States and Associated Countries in
particular will help to further expand the EOSC.
The EOSC overall infrastructure will be scalable, flexible and user-centric, constantly
improved and upgraded following users’ feedback and the state-of-the-art of the underlying
core technologies.
Interoperability is a key factor to deepen the interconnections and composability of resources
and services. The EOSC interoperability framework is inspired by the European
Interoperability Framework (EIF) and the European Interoperability Reference Architecture
(EIRA), providing a common understanding regarding the main technical elements and
building blocks to be used. Through a bespoke EOSC Interoperability Framework, relevant
infrastructure links and interfaces will be established to create synergies between the EOSC
and the activities in the context of the common European data spaces and the European
Alliance on Industrial Data and Cloud. Notably, the matured experience of FAIR data
implementation to enhance discoverability, interoperability and reuse, will be shared and
offered as best practice in the context of the common European data spaces support centre.

193
Council conclusions on the New European Research Area (13567/20).
194
EOSC Executive Board (2021). Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda of the European Open Science
Cloud.

35
Key actions:
• The Commission, through the EOSC European Partnership, will support the deployment
of EOSC core operations to serve EU researchers (2021-2025)195 with dedicated funds
under Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022 for Research Infrastructures196.
• The Commission, through the EOSC European Partnership, will support opening up,
connecting and articulating EOSC beyond the research communities by engaging with
industry and public sector at large from 2024 onwards197.
• The Commission and the members of the EOSC association will support the
implementation of the EOSC objectives with a cumulated investment of about EUR 1
billion until 2027198.

6.11. Common European data space for media

The setting-up of a European data space for media was confirmed as part of the Media and
Audiovisual Action Plan, adopted by the Commission on 3 December 2020, to support media
companies in sharing data and developing innovative solutions. The creation of a media data
space will also take into account the European Democracy Action Plan, adopted on 3
December 2020, in order to safeguard the freedom of expression as well as to help people
assess the trustworthiness of content.
The media data space will integrate state of the art tools and services needed for the
management and processing of data in full respect of the relevant EU and national legislation.
It will take into account the inputs of the broad stakeholder community and will address
European publishers, broadcasters, radios, advertising companies, media SMEs, technology
providers, content and tech start-ups, content creators and producers. A media data space will:
a) secure interoperability and an easy, cross-border access to key datasets,
b) link to the creation of innovative solutions, tools and models for the production,
curation, circulation and distribution of European media content across the Union,
c) ultimately contribute to connect sub-dataspaces from various media sectors to a
coherent data space, aligned with the European strategy for data.
Using these building blocks for the future media data space, EU media stakeholders will
increase their capacity to understand and deal with data-driven business models and pool
together increasing sets of content, data and metadata to produce new products and formats
targeting expanded audiences in multiple languages. By providing access to larger datasets,
the media ecosystem would be better equipped to scale up.

195
COM(2020) 66 final.
196
European Commission Decision C(2021)9128 of 15 December 2021, Horizon Europe Work Programme
2021-2022, see here.
197
COM(2020) 66 final.
198
EOSC Association and the European Commission (2021). Memorandum of Understanding for the European
co-programmed partnership for the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), see here.

36
The creation of a media data space will consist of three layers of action, of which the
development of the core infrastructure through funding from DIGITAL plays a fundamental
role:
1. Infrastructure: including the deployment of enabling technologies, of the underlying
structural components to design, implement and operate a data space as well as the
required elements for data governance and setting of standards.
2. Applications: development of technical and innovative tools to operationalise content
platforms, including, for example, modules on automatic translation, neutral search,
editing tools, social media interaction, news aggregation and content-driven modules.
3. Content: support to curation, joint-production and circulation of news and media content
and its adaptation to different audience targets and consumer preferences.
As the media sector comprises a number of heterogeneous fields, several sub spaces are likely
to be used as initial building blocks for the European media data space, such as news media,
audio-visual content sharing, augmented and virtual reality, film production and gaming.
Consequently, the first emphasis will be on interoperability and creation of connections
between these sub-spaces.
Key actions:
• Outreach actions and stakeholders consultations by the Commission, first conclusions
expected Q1 2022199.
• Two European Parliament Pilot Projects (2021-2022) setting out a feasibility study for
the creation of infrastructures for data and information sharing platforms for the media
ecosystem. First results are expected Q1 2022200.
• Through a call for proposals for a Preparatory Action (PA)201, launched in Q3 2021,
the Commission aims to set up media platforms enabling publishers and broadcasters
to pool together content and customer data to produce news content and factual
programming in multiple languages. The PA will build on the results of a content
sharing action funded through the Multimedia Actions line. The projects are expected
to start by 1 March 2022 and will have a duration of 12 to 15 months.
• Through Horizon Europe, publication of a first dedicated call for proposals in 2021 for
prototyping advanced solutions for the creation, distribution and consumption of new

199
Announced in COM(2020) 784 final.
200
European Commission, SMART 2019/0094 Pilot Project — Digital European Platform of Quality Content
Providers, Call for tenders, see here.
201
European Commission, European media platforms, call for proposals for a Preparatory Action, see here.
The call is part of the 2021 work programme regarding pilot projects and preparatory actions in the field of
"Communications Networks, Content and Technology" requested by European Parliament, Commission
Decision C/2021/3006 of 04 May 2021.

37
 immersive and innovative products for media, which directly links to the media data
space. Project(s) expected to start Q2-Q3 2022202.
• Calling for initiatives under DIGITAL in 2022 to set up an infrastructure and develop
tools for media data sharing, as well as tools for data analytics and services203.

6.12. Common European data space for cultural heritage

The Recommendation on a common European data space for cultural heritage, adopted on 10
November 2021204, paves the way for the creation of a cultural heritage data space. It aims at
supporting and accelerating the digital transformation of Europe’s cultural heritage sector by
boosting the digitisation of cultural assets and the reuse of high-quality data in this sector and
others, such as media and tourism. To this end, the Joint Research Centre of the Commission
has developed the Cultural gems205, a map-based web platform aimed at creating a common
repository for cultural and creative places206. City dwellers as well as organisations can
contribute by adding less known places and stories hidden behind the physical places. This
allows even smaller cities to engage with their residents and to promote local cultural and
creative places on a Europe-wide map.
The Recommendation covers all types of assets with special attention to categories of cultural
heritage, such as heritage at risk. It sets two targets for Member States on digitisation and
online availability, to be achieved by 2030:
- digitise in 3D all monuments and sites at risk and 50% of the most physically visited
cultural and heritage monuments, buildings and sites;
- contribute an additional 40 million, high quality, digitised and diversified types of cultural
heritage assets for reuse to Europeana207.
By 2025, Member States should digitise 40% of the overall 2030 targets.
The data space for cultural heritage will build on the current Europeana platform, its robust
data governance and model (such as the Europeana Data Model and the Publishing
Framework208), and it will expand its functionalities, seizing new opportunities created by
advanced technologies like 3D digitisation, cloud computing, crowd-sourcing, artificial
intelligence and extended reality. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, for example,
Europeana and systems like Cultural gems and the Joint Research Centre’s Cultural and

202
European Commission Decision C (2021) 9128 of 15 December 2021, see Horizon Europe Work programme
2021-2022 here.
203
C (2021) 7914 final.
204
C(2021) 7953 final.
205
See Cultural Gems webpage.
206
Alberti, V., et al. (2021). Cultural gems, European Commission, Ispra, 2021, JRC126194.
207
See the Europeana Platform webpage. Europeana currently gives access to 52 million cultural heritage assets,
45% of which can be reused in various sectors. Images and text make up 97.5% of the assets, with only 2.47%
audiovisual content and 0.03% in 3D. Increased contributions of high quality digitised assets, such as in 3D,
would enhance innovation and creation through the use and reuse of the digitised cultural heritage assets in
various key domains, see C(2021) 7953 final.
208
See the Europeana.pro website here and here.

38
Creative Cities Monitor209 have already shown their great potential for the safe resumption of
activities in the cultural and creative sectors210.
In order to facilitate a wide adoption of standards and reuse of data, the data space will be
provided with trustworthy mechanisms, such as security by design technologies. It will also
ensure data access and usage rights, including relevant EU copyright provisions211.
A Commission Expert Group has been set up212 to provide advice and expertise to the
Commission on the creation of the data space for cultural heritage. Specifically, the group will
contribute to the evolution of the data space for cultural heritage and sustainability of
Europeana and support the Commission in defining the general objectives and priorities for
actions for this data space under DIGITAL. It will also assist the Commission in monitoring
developments regarding the way cultural digital resources can be reused in innovative ways to
offer economic opportunities to cultural and creative industries.
The creation of the data space for cultural heritage aims to:
- strengthen infrastructures, with better services for data providers and aggregators;
- support the creation and integration of high-value datasets (HVDs) of digital cultural
content of any kind, size and nature. These will boost research, reuse and the development
of innovative applications in the cultural and creative sectors as well as in other areas such
as tourism, or education;
- improve data (content and metadata) quality, access and reuse, enhance multilingualism
and encourage the use of interoperable formats;
- build capacity and skills on digital transformation;
- further enlarge, coordinate and engage with the network of data partners (museums,
galleries, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions across Europe), accredited
aggregators, and experts working in the field of digital cultural heritage;
- develop standards for the provision of datasets, including the Europeana Data Model.
Key actions:
• Under DIGITAL, the Commission will launch in Q1 2022 a procurement to extend
Europeana to a data space for cultural heritage. The action will last 24 months and is
expected to start in Q1 2023213.
• Under DIGITAL, the Commission will launch in 2022 support grants to reach the
objectives of the cultural heritage data space. It has a duration 24 months214.

209
See Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor webpage.
210
Commission coronavirus response, see here; and C/2021/4838.
211
OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, p. 92–125.
212
Creating decision: COMMISSION DECISION C(2021) 4647 of 29.6.2021 setting up the Commission Expert
Group on the common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage and repealing Decision C(2017) 1444, see
here.
213
C (2021) 7914 final.
214
C (2021) 7914 final.

39
7. Conclusion
This Staff Working Document provides an overview of the common European data spaces
that are being developed in various strategic sectors or domains in response to the European
strategy for data. Relevant horizontal aspects, such as governance and legislative measures
and the EU programmes that support the creation of the data spaces, are also presented.
The data spaces will allow data from across the EU to be made available and shared in a
trustworthy and secure manner. This will enhance the development of new data-driven
products and services in the EU.
In February 2020, the European strategy for data presented the Commission’s view for setting
up initially 10 sectoral/domain-specific data spaces. Important steps have been achieved since
then, both horizontally and per sector/domain, to allow more data sharing and providing the
basis, in terms of both legislative and funding measures, for the data spaces. In November
2020, the Commission adopted the first horizontal legislative initiative in this direction, the
Data Governance Act. Funding programs supporting the data spaces have been adopted and
first calls launched in 2021. Progress has been achieved also in additional sectors, such as
media, culture, tourism and construction, paving the way for increased data sharing.
In 2022, the Commission will present the Data Act, which is the second major horizontal
legislative initiative after the Data Governance Act. Additionally, a legislative proposal on a
governance framework establishing the European Health Data Space will be proposed in the
first half of the year. Other important milestones for 2022 include the adoption of a proposal
for an EU open finance framework, a Digitalisation of Energy Action Plan, as well as the
review of existing EU rules in the mobility sector and on environmental geospatial data and
public access to environmental information. In parallel, work planned under the funding
programs will continue for all data spaces concerned.
The Commission will further report on the development of common European data spaces in
2023.

40
Annex 1: Common European Data Spaces – Timeline
The blue colour represents legislative and political initiatives. The green colour represents funding initiatives of the Commission. The brown
colour describes other actions.

DIGITAL Grant to deploy

DIGITAL CSA to bring stakeholders
and test, using procured
together, define ref. architecture and
building blocks building blocks and Put into practice
middleware solutions a federated infrastructure

Guidelines cross-sectoral data sharing

conditions

DIGITAL CSA to bring stakeholders together, define ref. architecture and building blocks

DIGITAL CSA Smart Communities

“GreenData4all” evaluation “GreenData4all” proposal for revising

the governance legal framework

DIGITAL Destination Earth

Review ITS Directive

Launch study to map acquis on transport data

DIGITAL Grant to deploy and test, using procured
DIGITAL CSA to bring stakeholders together, building blocks and middleware solutions
define ref. architecture and building blocks
Review current EU type approval legislation for motor vehicles

Launch pilot access Extension EU coverage MyHealth@EU

patients own health data
through MyHealth@EU Launch pilot for infrastructure secondairy use health data

DIGITAL Grant genomic data DIGITAL Grant cancer images

Legislative proposal for a

European Single Access Point DIGITAL procurement ESAP
(ESAP) 41
architecture

Adoption supervisory data Legislative proposal for an EU

strategy open finance framework
 Implementing Acts for metering and
Create a community of consumption data
stakeholders
Network code on cyber-security

Pilot projects Horizon Europe

DIGITAL CSA to bring stakeholders together, define ref.

architecture and building blocks

Agri data space projects Horizon Europe

Consolidate and
streamline a number
of initiatives into
a first legal data
space version

DIGITAL tender - Initial phase for public procurement data space

DIGITAL Grant to create a common data platform,

including the national components for the Law
enforcement data space

Launch European Digital Credentials

platform
DIGITAL CSA to bring stakeholders together, define ref.
architecture and building blocks
Promotion, technical user support and technical improvement of ESCO, Europass, EDC and QDR

New EOSC European

Partnership
Deploy EOSC Value-added Services for scientists support
Deploy EOSC foundations with the support Horizon Europe Horizon Europe

42
Annex 2: Mapping between common European data spaces and industrial
ecosystems
The European Commission conducted a preliminary analysis to explore the relationship
between domain-specific/sectoral data spaces and industrial ecosystems. Each one of the
industrial ecosystems215 was mapped to the common European data spaces216 based on the
types of data it would need to have access to. The purpose of this pre-analysis was not to
make an exhaustive list of the relevant mappings but to give an indication about the value of
the common European data spaces for the green and digital transition of the industrial
ecosystems.

Mappings between industrial ecosystems and common European data spaces based on the types of data it would
need to have access to

The results demonstrate that industrial ecosystems would need access to data coming beyond
their domain and each data space is expected to contribute to the digital transition of multiple
ecosystems. For example, the construction industrial ecosystem would need access to data
shared not only by construction common data spaces but also by a wide range of other data
spaces. Due to the horizontal nature of their data, it is anticipated that some common data
spaces (manufacturing, green deal, legal, skills, open science) will have a transformative
effect on all sectors of EU economy as they contain data needed for the vast majority of
industrial ecosystems.
The identified mappings show the essential role of cross-sector data interoperability for the
creation of a single EU data economy. Such interoperability can be achieved through the
development at the European level of appropriate standards that will simplify and homogenise
215
Annual Single Market Report 2021.
216
The list of common European data spaces included: the 10 sectoral common European data spaces that were
announced in the European data strategy as well as a common European data space in the media sector –
announced in December 2020, and for cultural heritage – announced in November 2021. The list also included
the common data spaces on tourism, construction and smart communities for which important work for the
development is ongoing

43
the interpretation of data and thus will tackle a major information exchange barrier. In this
respect, the coordination and cooperation between stakeholders and the European
Standardisation Organisations217 will be key for developing the needed standards and
increasing their visibility, within and across industrial ecosystems and European data spaces.

217
European Commission, Key players in European Standardisation, see here.

44