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Go directly to the online consultation
Data has become an essential resource for economic growth, job creation and societal progress. Data analysis facilitates better decision-making, innovation and the prediction of future events. Europe aims to exploit this potential without infringing the rights and freedoms of people or damaging economic investments made into generating data. Within this context, the Commission aims to foster an efficient, competitive single market for data services including cloud-based ones. It needs to identify the legal, economic, and regulatory challenges, and to launch a discussion with stakeholders on future action.
On 10 January 2017, the Commission adopted the "Building the European Data Economy" package consisting of a Communication and a Staff Working Document. These policy documents give an overview of issues at stake, and of the context of this consultation. Respondents are invited to read them prior to completing the questionnaire.
The public consultation will help shape the future policy agenda on the European data economy. It will feed into a possible Commission's initiative in 2017 on Building the European Data Economy.
The objective of the consultation is to collect information on:
whether and how local or national data localisation restrictions inhibit the free flow of data in Europe
whether and to what extent digital non-personal machine-generated data are traded and exchanged
the nature and magnitude of any barriers to accessing such data
ways of tackling those barriers
emerging Internet of Things and robotics liability challenges
practices and issues relating to data portability, interoperability and standards.
The "Building the European Data Economy" package addresses restrictions on the free flow of data, including legal barriers on the location of data for storage and/or processing purposes, and a series of emerging issues relating to data such as ownership, access, reuse, portability and liability.
While the questions on liability issues in this consultation are addressed in a data economy context, a separate consultation on the overall evaluation of the application of the Product Liability Directive (85/374/EEC) is being launched.
This consultation does not cover any issues related to personal data protection. These are extensively regulated elsewhere, namely in the new EU data protection rules, as well as through the review of the ePrivacy Directive. Issues of access to and re-use of public sector information are excluded from this consultation because they will be tackled under the upcoming review of the Directive on the re-use of public sector information (2003/98/EC).
The Commission has already engaged in an extensive dialogue on the data economy with stakeholders, in the form of sector-specific (e.g. manufacturing and financial sectors) and cross-sector round-tables, workshops, conferences, bilateral meetings including targeted consultations of the Member States on data economy topics, and a public consultation in which the data economy was one of a broader range of topics.
This consultation targets:
Businesses of all sizes
Manufacturers and users of connected devices
Operators and users of online platforms
Data brokers
Businesses commercialising data-based products and services
Public authorities
Non-governmental organisations
Researcher and research organisations
Consumers
As data collected by sensors are used in many areas, this consultation targets all sectors. Some of the sectors likely to be concerned are manufacturing, energy, automotive, health, consumer-facing commerce, Internet of Things (IoT), etc.
10 January 2017 – 26 April 2017
Replies received after the closing date will not be considered.
You can reply online
You can reply in any EU language, even in the online English version of the questionnaire. For your convenience, the questionnaire in the other official EU languages will be available as from 1 February 2017.
Only responses received through the online questionnaire will be considered for analysis. Questionnaires sent by e-mail or on paper will not be analysed except those due to accessibility needs of persons with disabilities (see below).
All questions are optional. You can pause any time and continue later. You can download your contribution once you have submitted your answers.
Given the volume of this consultation, you may wish to download a PDF version before responding to the survey online. The PDF version includes all possible questions. When you fill the survey in online, you will not see all of the questions; only those applicable to your chosen respondent category and to other choices made when you answer previous questions.
The questionnaire is divided between 4 different sections:
Localisation of data for storage and / or processing purposes
Access to and re-use of non-personal data
Liability
Portability of non-personal data, interoperability and standards
While you may want to contribute to the entire questionnaire, it is also possible for you to contribute only to the sections (s) that is / are relevant to you or your organisation.
We accept questionnaires by e-mail or by post from people with disabilities and their representative organisations.
Please send either e-mail with your reply attached as Word, PDF or ODF document to CNECT-CONSULTATION-DATA-ECONOMY@ec.europa.eu
or write to us at:
European Commission, DG Communication Networks, Content & Technology Unit G1 – Data Policy and Innovation Euroforum Building 10 rue Robert Stumper L-2557 Luxembourg Luxembourg
In the survey you will be asked whether you are responding as an individual or representing the views of an organisation. We ask responding organisations to register in the Transparency Register.
We publish the submissions of non-registered organisations separately from those of registered ones.
We shall publish all contributions to the consultation unless non-publication is specifically requested in the 'About you' section of the questionnaire.
A short summary of the consultation results will be published on this page 1 month after the consultation closes. We shall issue a report with the qualitative analysis of the contributions in due course.
In case your response includes confidential data please provide a non-confidential version. Please read the Specific Privacy Statement below on how we deal with your personal data and contribution.
Protection of personal data
Specific privacy statement
CNECT-CONSULTATION-DATA-ECONOMY@ec.europa.eu
