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The European Data Governance Act

Understanding the structural implications of the Data Governance Act is essential for designing legally robust, interoperable, and strategically aligned European data spaces.

A European initiative

The Data Governance Act aims to increase trust in data sharing by establishing clear frameworks and safeguards, while strengthening data availability across sectors and addressing technical and organisational barriers to data reuse.
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It also supports the creation of Common European Data Spaces, governed and coordinated by the European Commission, to enable secure, transparent, and innovation-driven data collaboration across the EU.
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How the Data Governance Act Changes Data Sharing

The Data Governance Act (DGA), adopted on 30 May 2022 as part of the broader European Data Strategy, establishes tactics to facilitate trusted data sharing across the European Union. Building on the 2020 vision of a “single market for data” and sectoral Common European Data Spaces, the DGA does not create new data ownership rights; rather, it structures governance conditions under which data can be reused and shared.
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It introduces a framework for the re-use of public-sector data, provided that access occurs under strict safeguards. It also regulates “data intermediation services” (DIS), requiring providers that facilitate exchanges between an indefinite number of data holders and data users to comply with neutrality, independence, and non-discrimination obligations, subject to registration and supervision. Furthermore, the DGA establishes a regime for “data altruism,” enabling voluntary data sharing for purposes of general interest (such as research, climate, or mobility) through recognised organisations, and creates the European Data Innovation Board to promote coordination, interoperability standards, and the development of common data spaces. Together, these elements aim to enhance trust, legal certainty, and interoperability in EU data markets, forming a governance layer that complements subsequent instruments such as the Data Act and supports the emergence of sovereign, federated European data spaces.

How the DGA is driving innovation and interoperability in Europe

The European Data Governance Act creates the conditions for a new generation of trusted European data spaces by transforming regulatory complexity into structured opportunity. By combining neutral data intermediation, recognised data altruism frameworks, and coordinated governance through the European Data Innovation Board, it enables organisations to share and reuse data with legal certainty, technical interoperability, and compliance by design.
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For initiatives such as EONA-X, this framework supports the development of federated, sovereign infrastructures—avoiding centralised “data lakes” while ensuring identity management, access control, portability, and usage governance. The result is a scalable solution in which businesses, public authorities, and research actors can collaborate across sectors under clear rules, reduced transaction costs, and strengthened trust. In this way, the DGA does not merely regulate data flows; it provides the governance architecture necessary to unlock voluntary data sharing, stimulate innovation, and reinforce Europe’s strategic autonomy in the data-driven economy.

Take it to the next level: Align your governance with EU standards

Leverage the Data Governance Act framework to structure your data space with clear governance, defined roles (consortium or data intermediation service), and compliance-by-design mechanisms from the outset, ensuring neutrality where required.
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Align contracts, technical architecture, and interoperability standards with DGA requirements to enable trusted, scalable, and legally secure data sharing.

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