#DigitalSingleMarket - EU negotiators agree on new rules for sharing of public sector data

The European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the Commission have reached a political agreement on a revised directive that will facilitate the availability and re-use of public sector data. In full compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the new Directive on Open Data and Public Sector Information (PSI) - which can be for example anything from anonymised personal data on household energy use to general information about national education or literacy levels - updates the framework setting out the conditions under which public sector data should be made available for re-use, with a particular focus on the increasing amounts of high-value data that is now available.

Digital Single Market Vice President Andrus Ansip said: “Data is increasingly the lifeblood of today's economy and unlocking the potential of public open data can bring significant economic benefits. The total direct economic value of public sector information and data from public undertakings is expected to increase from €52 billion in 2018 to €194 billion by 2030. With these new rules in place, we will ensure that we can make the most of this growth”.

Digital Economy and Society Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said: “Public sector information has already been paid for by the taxpayer. Making it more open for re-use benefits the European data economy by enabling new innovative products and services, for example based on artificial intelligence technologies. But beyond the economy, open data from the public sector is also important for our democracy and society because it increases transparency and supports a facts-based public debate.”

The European Parliament and the Council will now need to formally adopt the revised rules. For more information see the press release and updated factsheet.

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