The report by Spanish MEP Pilar del Castillo Vera (EPP) on the future ‘Data Act’ (see EUROPE 13116/7) was adopted on Thursday 9 February by the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (59 votes in favour, none against, 11 abstentions). The report will be put to the vote in the European Parliament plenary session from 13 to 16 March, with a view to starting interinstitutional negotiations.
“The Data Act will be an absolute game-changer, providing access to an almost infinite amount of high-quality industrial data. Competitiveness and innovation are part of its DNA”, said Ms del Castillo Vera.
As a reminder, the future Data Act should contribute to the development of new services, including in artificial intelligence, and allow users, who generate 80% of data, to access it more easily.
In turn, companies could decide which data can be shared and the manufacturer could choose not to make certain data available. Provisions to protect SMEs are also included in the text, particularly in the area of contracts, where terms are often unfair when imposed by major sector players.
In addition to new tools to encourage companies to invest in data, the text includes stricter provisions to safeguard companies’ trade secrets and avoid situations where increased access to data would be used by competitors to modify services or devices.
The adopted text also makes it easier to change cloud service providers, a point that was widely debated. Safeguards would be introduced against the illegal transfer of data by these providers.
The issue of public services accessing privately held data is also addressed. This access will be possible in exceptional cases or emergency situations such as health crises, fires or floods. Compensation could, in some cases, be requested by the companies concerned. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)