On 19 February 2020, the Commission unveiled its plans and actions for a European data strategy. The new Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen set the ambitious goal that the EU become the leading role model for a society empowered by data to make better decisions – in business and in the public sector. All European citizens and businesses should benefit from new technologies and the use of data. The digital-agile economy must be boosted. The European Data Strategy aims at creating a single market for data with the following features:

• Data flow within the EU and across sectors, for the benefit of all;
• Full respect for European rules, in particular on privacy and data protection as well as on competition law;
• Fair, practical, and clear rules for access and use of data.

In its Communication on a European data strategy, the Commission first sets out what is at stake, what its vision is, and what the problems are. Future actions will be based on four pillars:

• A cross-sectoral governance framework for data access and use;
• Investments in data and strengthening of Europe’s capabilities and infrastructures for hosting, processing, and using data, interoperability;
• Empowerment of individuals, investing in skills and in SMEs;
• Common European data spaces in strategic sectors and domains of public interest.

The strategy sets out key actions in each pillar. For this year, the Commission announced, inter alia, proposals on a Digital Services Act and a European Democracy Action Plan, a review of the eIDAS regulation, and measures to strengthen cybersecurity by developing a Joint Cyber Unit.

The Commission has invited the public to give feedback on its data strategy. The public consultation is open until 31 May 2020.