Enhanced Digital Literacy Policies and Data Exchange Strategies are Crucial for Europe's Digital Progression
The European Commission is taking steps to address the challenges faced by organisations in using data effectively. Many organisations struggle with barriers such as a lack of technical skills and data silos.
To tackle these issues, European policymakers are advocating for a consistent legislative approach that addresses both legal and technical barriers to data sharing. In 2021, the Commission has offered at least three legislative proposals to foster data-sharing across and outside organisations.
One of these proposals is the Data Governance Act, which aims to establish a governance framework for data-sharing. Another is the Data Act, set to become effective in September 2025, which will promote fair access to data generated by connected devices and encourage data pooling through common European data spaces.
The Commission recognises the importance of enhancing digital literacy. Targeted funding for data literacy training would be more efficient for taxpayers, and a better option could be for European policymakers to encourage firms to invest in data literacy with fiscal measures like tax-free reimbursement for data literacy training programs.
The European Commission is also addressing concerns related to data protection regulations such as the GDPR. The Commission is deploying appropriate contractual, organisational, and technical safeguards to prevent data misuse, as exemplified by the European Commission’s corrective measures in securing GDPR compliance for its use of Microsoft 365.
In addition, the Commission is enforcing new switching requirements under the Data Act for data processing services, which help dismantle barriers where dominant providers control critical data, thus encouraging a more dynamic data market.
The Commission is also encouraging transparent consent mechanisms that are clear and actionable to overcome one of the biggest challenges under GDPR—obtaining valid consent for data processing. This enables responsible data sharing and AI development without compromising privacy.
These efforts aim to reduce barriers to data-sharing by ensuring data portability, interoperability, and new legal mechanisms to share data for altruistic purposes. It is troubling that the EU makes it harder for organisations to share data while spending money to encourage it.
The European Health Data Space is another initiative aimed at fostering data-sharing of health data. The Commission prioritises increasing the use of data for digital transformation by 2030.
However, a recent survey found that few firms offer data literacy training, and most businesses struggle to utilise their data due to a lack of a strong data culture and advanced data skills. European policymakers should address legal barriers related to data-sharing in the GDPR when considering policies that foster data-sharing.
Collectively, these efforts create a data-friendly ecosystem that increases digital literacy and data sharing capabilities while respecting stringent European data protection standards, thus promoting innovation and competition within a trusted framework.
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