On Friday 27 March, the European Commission launched a four-week public consultation after publishing a draft regulation defining a common EU-wide rating system for data centres. It plans to adopt the final regulation in the second quarter of 2026.
As the institution points out in a press release, the EU’s digital strategy has “already highlighted the need for high-performance data centres, which are essential for the competitiveness and sustainability of European industries”.
The new regulation follows on from 2024 legislation on a European database of data centres and a notification system for the collection of information and key performance indicators (EU/2024/1364).
The new rules define the use of the information collected for the assessment of data centres, which will be accessible via electronic labels issued automatically by the European database.
This evaluation system should “make it easier to compare different data centres in the same region and encourage new designs or greater energy efficiency”, underscores the Commission, emphasising a significant reduction in energy and water consumption.
To view the consultation: https://aeur.eu/f/ldy (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)