Digital Governance Act 2022/0868 EN

(1)	‘ data’ means any digital representation of acts, facts or information and any compilation of such acts, facts or information, including in the form of sound, visual or audiovisual recording;

(2)

‘ re-use’ means the use by natural or legal persons of data held by public sector bodies, for commercial or non-commercial purposes other than the initial purpose within the public task for which the data were produced, except for the exchange of data between public sector bodies purely in pursuit of their public tasks;

(3)	‘personal data’ means personal data as defined in Article 4, point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679;

(4)	‘non-personal data’ means data other than personal data;

(5)	‘ consent’ means consent as defined in Article 4, point (11), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679;

(6)	‘ permission’ means giving data users the right to the processing of non-personal data;

(7)	‘ data subject’ means data subject as referred to in Article 4, point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679;

(8)

‘ data holder’ means a legal person, including public sector bodies and international organisations, or a natural person who is not a data subject with respect to the specific data in question, which, in accordance with applicable Union or national law, has the right to grant access to or to share certain personal data or non-personal data;

(9)	‘ data user’ means a natural or legal person who has lawful access to certain personal or non-personal data and has the right, including under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 in the case of personal data, to use that data for commercial or non-commercial purposes;

(10)

‘ data sharing’ means the provision of data by a data subject or a data holder to a data user for the purpose of the joint or individual use of such data, based on voluntary agreements or Union or national law, directly or through an intermediary, for example under open or commercial licences subject to a fee or free of charge;

(11)

‘ data intermediation service’ means a service which aims to establish commercial relationships for the purposes of data sharing between an undetermined number of data subjects and data holders on the one hand and data users on the other, through technical, legal or other means, including for the purpose of exercising the rights of data subjects in relation to personal data, excluding at least the following:

(a)	services that obtain data from data holders and aggregate, enrich or transform the data for the purpose of adding substantial value to it and license the use of the resulting data to data users, without establishing a commercial relationship between data holders and data users;

(b)	services that focus on the intermediation of copyright-protected content;

(c)

services that are exclusively used by one data holder in order to enable the use of the data held by that data holder, or that are used by multiple legal persons in a closed group, including supplier or customer relationships or collaborations established by contract, in particular those that have as a main objective to ensure the functionalities of objects and devices connected to the Internet of Things;

(d)	data sharing services offered by public sector bodies that do not aim to establish commercial relationships;

(12)	‘ processing’ means processing as defined in Article 4, point (2), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 with regard to personal data or Article 3, point (2), of Regulation (EU) 2018/1807 with regard to non-personal data;

(13)	‘ access’ means data use, in accordance with specific technical, legal or organisational requirements, without necessarily implying the transmission or downloading of data;

(14)	‘ main_establishment’ of a legal person means the place of its central administration in the Union;

(15)

‘services of data cooperatives’ means data intermediation services offered by an organisational structure constituted by data subjects, one-person undertakings or SMEs who are members of that structure, having as its main objectives to support its members in the exercise of their rights with respect to certain data, including with regard to making informed choices before they consent to data processing, to exchange views on data processing purposes and conditions that would best represent the interests of its members in relation to their data, and to negotiate terms and conditions for data processing on behalf of its members before giving permission to the processing of non-personal data or before they consent to the processing of personal data;

(16)

‘ data altruism’ means the voluntary sharing of data on the basis of the consent of data subjects to process personal data pertaining to them, or permissions of data holders to allow the use of their non-personal data without seeking or receiving a reward that goes beyond compensation related to the costs that they incur where they make their data available for objectives of general interest as provided for in national law, where applicable, such as healthcare, combating climate change, improving mobility, facilitating the development, production and dissemination of official statistics, improving the provision of public services, public policy making or scientific research purposes in the general interest;

(17)	‘ public_sector_body’ means the State, regional or local authorities, bodies_governed_by_public_law or associations formed by one or more such authorities, or one or more such bodies_governed_by_public_law;

(18)

‘ bodies_governed_by_public_law’ means bodies that have the following characteristics:

(a)	they are established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, and do not have an industrial or commercial character;

(b)	they have legal personality;

(c)

they are financed, for the most part, by the State, regional or local authorities, or other bodies_governed_by_public_law, are subject to management supervision by those authorities or bodies, or have an administrative, managerial or supervisory board, more than half of whose members are appointed by the State, regional or local authorities, or by other bodies_governed_by_public_law;

(19)

‘ public_undertaking’ means any undertaking over which the public sector bodies may exercise directly or indirectly a dominant influence by virtue of their ownership of it, their financial participation therein, or the rules which govern it; for the purposes of this definition, a dominant influence on the part of the public sector bodies shall be presumed in any of the following cases in which those bodies, directly or indirectly:

(a)	hold the majority of the undertaking’s subscribed capital;

(b)	control the majority of the votes attaching to shares issued by the undertaking;

(c)	can appoint more than half of the undertaking’s administrative, management or supervisory body;

(20)

‘secure processing environment’ means the physical or virtual environment and organisational means to ensure compliance with Union law, such as Regulation (EU) 2016/679, in particular with regard to data subjects’ rights, intellectual property rights, and commercial and statistical confidentiality, integrity and accessibility, as well as with applicable national law, and to allow the entity providing the secure processing environment to determine and supervise all data processing actions, including the display, storage, download and export of data and the calculation of derivative data through computational algorithms;

(21)

‘ legal_representative’ means a natural or legal person established in the Union explicitly designated to act on behalf of a data intermediation services provider or an entity that collects data for objectives of general interest made available by natural or legal persons on the basis of data altruism not established in the Union, which may be addressed by the competent authorities for data intermediation services and the competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations in addition to or instead of the data intermediation services provider or entity with regard to the obligations under this Regulation, including with regard to initiating enforcement proceedings against a non-compliant data intermediation services provider or entity not established in the Union.

CHAPTER II

Re-use of certain categories of protected data held by public sector bodies

Article 3

Categories of data

1. This Chapter applies to data held by public sector bodies which are protected on grounds of:

(a)	commercial confidentiality, including business, professional and company secrets;

(b)	statistical confidentiality;

(c)	the protection of intellectual property rights of third parties; or

(d)	the protection of personal data, insofar as such data fall outside the scope of Directive (EU) 2019/1024.

2. This Chapter does not apply to:

(a)	data held by public_undertakings;

(b)	data held by public service broadcasters and their subsidiaries, and by other bodies or their subsidiaries for the fulfilment of a public service broadcasting remit;

(c)	data held by cultural establishments and educational establishments;

(d)	data held by public sector bodies which are protected for reasons of public security, defence or national security; or

(e)

data the supply of which is an activity falling outside the scope of the public task of the public sector bodies concerned as defined by law or by other binding rules in the Member State concerned, or, in the absence of such rules, as defined in accordance with common administrative practice in that Member State, provided that the scope of the public tasks is transparent and subject to review.

3. This Chapter is without prejudice to:

(a)	Union and national law and international agreements to which the Union or Member States are party on the protection of categories of data referred to in paragraph 1; and

(b)	Union and national law on access to documents.

Article 8

Single information points

1. Member States shall ensure that all relevant information concerning the application of Articles 5 and 6 is available and easily accessible through a single information point. Member States shall establish a new body or designate an existing body or structure as the single information point. The single information point may be linked to sectoral, regional or local information points. The functions of the single information point may be automated provided that the public_sector_body ensures adequate support.

2. The single information point shall be competent to receive enquiries or requests for the re-use of the categories of data referred to in Article 3(1) and shall transmit them, where possible and appropriate by automated means, to the competent public sector bodies, or the competent bodies referred to in Article 7(1), where relevant. The single information point shall make available by electronic means a searchable asset list containing an overview of all available data resources including, where relevant, those data resources that are available at sectoral, regional or local information points, with relevant information describing the available data, including at least the data format and size and the conditions for their re-use.

3. The single information point may establish a separate, simplified and well-documented information channel for SMEs and start-ups, addressing their needs and capabilities in requesting the re-use of the categories of data referred to in Article 3(1).

4. The Commission shall establish a European single access point offering a searchable electronic register of data available in the national single information points and further information on how to request data via those national single information points.

Article 9

Procedure for requests for re-use

1. Unless shorter time limits have been established in accordance with national law, the competent public sector bodies or the competent bodies referred to in Article 7(1) shall adopt a decision on the request for the re-use of the categories of data referred to in Article 3(1) within two months of the date of receipt of the request.

In the case of exceptionally extensive and complex requests for re-use, that two-month period may be extended by up to 30 days. In such cases the competent public sector bodies or the competent bodies referred to in Article 7(1) shall notify the applicant as soon as possible that more time is needed for conducting the procedure, together with the reasons for the delay.

2. Any natural or legal person directly affected by a decision as referred to in paragraph 1 shall have an effective right of redress in the Member State where the relevant body is located. Such a right of redress shall be laid down in national law and shall include the possibility of review by an impartial body with the appropriate expertise, such as the national competition authority, the relevant access-to-documents authority, the supervisory authority established in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or a national judicial authority, whose decisions are binding upon the public_sector_body or the competent body concerned.

CHAPTER III

Requirements applicable to data intermediation services

Article 14

Monitoring of compliance

1. The competent authorities for data intermediation services shall monitor and supervise compliance of data intermediation services providers with the requirements of this Chapter. The competent authorities for data intermediation services may also monitor and supervise the compliance of data intermediation services providers, on the basis of a request by a natural or legal person.

2. The competent authorities for data intermediation services shall have the power to request from data intermediation services providers or their legal_representatives all the information that is necessary to verify compliance with the requirements of this Chapter. Any request for information shall be proportionate to the performance of the task and shall be reasoned.

3. Where the competent authority for data intermediation services finds that a data intermediation services provider does not comply with one or more of the requirements of this Chapter, it shall notify that data intermediation services provider of those findings and give it the opportunity to state its views, within 30 days of the receipt of the notification.

4. The competent authority for data intermediation services shall have the power to require the cessation of the infringement referred to in paragraph 3 within a reasonable time limit or immediately in the case of a serious infringement and shall take appropriate and proportionate measures with the aim of ensuring compliance. In that regard, the competent authority for data intermediation services shall have the power, where appropriate:

(a)	to impose, through administrative procedures, dissuasive financial penalties, which may include periodic penalties and penalties with retroactive effect, to initiate legal proceedings for the imposition of fines, or both;

(b)	to require a postponement of the commencement or a suspension of the provision of the data intermediation service until any changes to the conditions requested by the competent authority for data intermediation services have been made; or

(c)	to require the cessation of the provision of the data intermediation service in the event that serious or repeated infringements have not been remedied despite prior notification in accordance with paragraph 3.

The competent authority for data intermediation services shall request the Commission to remove the data intermediation services provider from the register of data intermediation services providers once it has ordered the cessation of the provision of the data intermediation service in accordance with the first subparagraph, point (c).

If a data intermediation services provider remedies infringements, that data intermediation services provider shall re-notify the competent authority for data intermediation services. The competent authority for data intermediation services shall notify the Commission of each new re-notification.

5. Where a data intermediation services provider that is not established in the Union fails to designate a legal_representative or the legal_representative fails, upon request of the competent authority for data intermediation services, to provide the necessary information that comprehensively demonstrates compliance with this Regulation, the competent authority for data intermediation services shall have the power to postpone the commencement of or to suspend the provision of the data intermediation service until the legal_representative is designated or the necessary information is provided.

6. The competent authorities for data intermediation services shall notify the data intermediation services provider concerned of the measures imposed pursuant to paragraphs 4 and 5 and the reasons on which they are based, as well as the necessary steps to be taken to rectify the relevant shortcomings, without delay, and shall stipulate a reasonable period, which shall not be longer than 30 days, for the data intermediation services provider to comply with those measures.

7. If a data intermediation services provider has its main_establishment or its legal_representative in a Member State but provides services in other Member States, the competent authority for data intermediation services of the Member State of the main_establishment or where the legal_representative is located and the competent authorities for data intermediation services of those other Member States shall cooperate and assist each other. Such assistance and cooperation may cover information exchanges between the competent authorities for data intermediation services concerned for the purposes of their tasks under this Regulation and reasoned requests to take the measures referred to in this Article.

Where a competent authority for data intermediation services in one Member State requests assistance from a competent authority for data intermediation services in another Member State, it shall submit a reasoned request. The competent authority for data intermediation services shall, upon such a request, provide a response without delay and within a timeframe proportionate to the urgency of the request.

Any information exchanged in the context of assistance requested and provided under this paragraph shall be used only in respect of the matter for which it was requested.

Article 24

Monitoring of compliance

1. The competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations shall monitor and supervise compliance of recognised data altruism organisations with the requirements laid down in this Chapter. The competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations may also monitor and supervise the compliance of such recognised data altruism organisations, on the basis of a request by a natural or legal person.

2. The competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations shall have the power to request information from recognised data altruism organisations that is necessary to verify compliance with the requirements of this Chapter. Any request for information shall be proportionate to the performance of the task and shall be reasoned.

3. Where the competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations finds that a recognised data altruism organisation does not comply with one or more of the requirements of this Chapter, it shall notify the recognised data altruism organisation of those findings and give it the opportunity to state its views within 30 days of the receipt of the notification.

4. The competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations shall have the power to require the cessation of the infringement referred to in paragraph 3 either immediately or within a reasonable time limit and shall take appropriate and proportionate measures with the aim of ensuring compliance.

5. If a recognised data altruism organisation does not comply with one or more of the requirements of this Chapter even after having been notified in accordance with paragraph 3 by the competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations, that recognised data altruism organisation shall:

(a)	lose its right to use the label ‘ data altruism organisation recognised in the Union’ in any written and spoken communication;

(b)	be removed from the relevant public national register of recognised data altruism organisations and the public Union register of recognised data altruism organisations.

Any decision revoking the right to use the label ‘ data altruism organisation recognised in the Union’ under the first subparagraph, point (a), shall be made public by the competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations.

6. If a recognised data altruism organisation has its main_establishment or its legal_representative in a Member State but is active in other Member States, the competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations of the Member State of the main_establishment or where the legal_representative is located and the competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations of those other Member States shall cooperate and assist each other. Such assistance and cooperation may cover information exchanges between the competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations concerned for the purposes of their tasks under this Regulation and reasoned requests to take the measures referred to in this Article.

Where a competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations in one Member State requests assistance from a competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations in another Member State, it shall submit a reasoned request. The competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations shall, upon such a request, provide a response without delay and within a timeframe proportionate to the urgency of the request.

Any information exchanged in the context of assistance requested and provided under this paragraph shall be used only in respect of the matter for which it was requested.

Article 28

Right to an effective judicial remedy

1. Notwithstanding any administrative or other non-judicial remedies, any affected natural and legal persons shall have the right to an effective judicial remedy with regard to legally binding decisions referred to in Article 14 taken by the competent authorities for data intermediation services in the management, control and enforcement of the notification regime for data intermediation services providers and legally binding decisions referred to in Articles 19 and 24 taken by the competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations in the monitoring of recognised data altruism organisations.

2. Proceedings pursuant to this Article shall be brought before the courts or tribunals of the Member State of the competent authority for data intermediation services or the competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations against which the judicial remedy is sought individually or, where relevant, collectively by the representatives of one or more natural or legal persons.

3. Where a competent authority for data intermediation services or a competent authority for the registration of data altruism organisations fails to act on a complaint, any affected natural and legal persons shall, in accordance with national law, either have the right to an effective judicial remedy or access to review by an impartial body with the appropriate expertise.

CHAPTER VI

European Data Innovation Board

Article 29

European Data Innovation Board

1. The Commission shall establish a European Data Innovation Board in the form of an expert group, consisting of representatives of the competent authorities for data intermediation services and the competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations of all Member States, the European Data Protection Board, the European Data Protection Supervisor, ENISA, the Commission, the EU SME Envoy or a representative appointed by the network of SME envoys, and other representatives of relevant bodies in specific sectors as well as bodies with specific expertise. In its appointments of individual experts, the Commission shall aim to achieve gender and geographical balance among the members of the expert group.

2. The European Data Innovation Board shall consist of at least the following three subgroups:

(a)	a subgroup composed of the competent authorities for data intermediation services and the competent authorities for the registration of data altruism organisations, with a view to carrying out the tasks pursuant to Article 30, points (a), (c), (j) and (k);

(b)	a subgroup for technical discussions on standardisation, portability and interoperability pursuant to Article 30, points (f) and (g);

(c)

a subgroup for stakeholder involvement composed of relevant representatives from industry, research, academia, civil society, standardisation organisations, relevant common European data spaces and other relevant stakeholders and third parties advising the European Data Innovation Board on tasks pursuant to Article 30, points (d), (e), (f), (g) and (h).

3. The Commission shall chair the meetings of the European Data Innovation Board.

4. The European Data Innovation Board shall be assisted by a secretariat provided by the Commission.

Article 31

International access and transfer

1. The public_sector_body, the natural or legal person to which the right to re-use data was granted under Chapter II, the data intermediation services provider or the recognised data altruism organisation shall take all reasonable technical, legal and organisational measures, including contractual arrangements, in order to prevent international transfer or governmental access to non-personal data held in the Union where such transfer or access would create a conflict with Union law or the national law of the relevant Member State, without prejudice to paragraph 2 or 3.

2. Any decision or judgment of a third-country court or tribunal and any decision of a third-country administrative authority requiring a public_sector_body, a natural or legal person to which the right to re-use data was granted under Chapter II, a data intermediation services provider or recognised data altruism organisation to transfer or give access to non-personal data within the scope of this Regulation held in the Union shall be recognised or enforceable in any manner only if based on an international agreement, such as a mutual legal assistance treaty, in force between the requesting third country and the Union or any such agreement between the requesting third country and a Member State.

3. In the absence of an international agreement as referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, where a public_sector_body, a natural or legal person to which the right to re-use data was granted under Chapter II, a data intermediation services provider or recognised data altruism organisation is the addressee of a decision or judgment of a third-country court or tribunal or a decision of a third-country administrative authority to transfer or give access to non-personal data within the scope of this Regulation held in the Union and compliance with such a decision would risk putting the addressee in conflict with Union law or with the national law of the relevant Member State, transfer to or access to such data by that third-country authority shall take place only where:

(a)	the third-country system requires the reasons and proportionality of such a decision or judgment to be set out and requires such a decision or judgment to be specific in character, for instance by establishing a sufficient link to certain suspected persons or infringements;

(b)	the reasoned objection of the addressee is subject to a review by a competent third-country court or tribunal; and

(c)

the competent third-country court or tribunal issuing the decision or judgment or reviewing the decision of an administrative authority is empowered under the law of that third country to take duly into account the relevant legal interests of the provider of the data protected under Union law or the national law of the relevant Member State.

4. If the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 or 3 are met, the public_sector_body, the natural or legal person to which the right to re-use data was granted under Chapter II, the data intermediation services provider or the recognised data altruism organisation shall provide the minimum amount of data permissible in response to a request, based on a reasonable interpretation of the request.

5. The public_sector_body, the natural or legal person to which the right to re-use data was granted under Chapter II, the data intermediation services provider and the recognised data altruism organisation shall inform the data holder about the existence of a request of a third-country administrative authority to access its data before complying with that request, except where the request serves law enforcement purposes and for as long as this is necessary to preserve the effectiveness of the law enforcement activity.

CHAPTER VIII

Delegation and committee procedure

Article 35

Evaluation and review

By 24 September 2025, the Commission shall carry out an evaluation of this Regulation and submit a report on its main findings to the European Parliament and to the Council as well as to the European Economic and Social Committee. The report shall be accompanied, where necessary, by legislative proposals.

The report shall assess, in particular:

(a)	the application and functioning of the rules on penalties laid down by the Member States pursuant to Article 34;

(b)	the level of compliance of the legal_representatives of data intermediation services providers and recognised data altruism organisations that are not established in the Union with this Regulation and the level of enforceability of penalties imposed on those providers and organisations;

(c)	the type of data altruism organisations registered under Chapter IV and an overview of the objectives of general interests for which data are shared in view of establishing clear criteria in that respect.

Member States shall provide the Commission with the information necessary for the preparation of that report.

whereas

keyboard_tab Digital Governance Act 2022/0868 EN

Digital Governance Act 2022/0868 EN