A data strategy for Europe that supports technological capacity but combats technological protectionism

The Data Governance Act is expected to be followed by a Data act for the third quarter of next year, and a Cloud Act by 2022.

The Commission”s overall objective, as set out in the data strategy, is to create a single market for data, thereby increasing the use of, and demand for, data and data-enabled products and services. An infrastructure capable of dealing with issues such as connectivity, data processing and storage, computing power and cybersecurity in a coordinated manner is indeed very welcome. However, it is important that any such coordination measures do not result in Europe being isolated from the rest of the data world outside.

The business community is a driving force in digital development. An infrastructure that facilitates and motivates increased access to, and sharing of, data will help business community to contribute to successful innovation, research and development within the data economy.

The ability to transfer data between countries, both inside the EU and with countries outside, is today central for many companies in all economic sectors. For both Swedish and European interests, it is therefore of great importance that companies’ international data flows with customers, subsidiaries or partners are not impeded or hindered. The Commission’s expected proposals within the framework of the data strategy must therefore maintain a clear focus on supporting technological capacity in the EU while combatting technological protectionism. This will ensure that the EU does not deviate from its tradition of openness for trade and investment with the rest of the world. The ability for companies to compete internationally will require access to efficient and secure data management that enables companies to operate both in the internal market and internationally.