Data economy
The European Way for a Strong Data Economy
Data economy
Improved use of data supports innovation, economic progress and social prosperity.
Data strategy for Austria
The data strategy aims to support the targeted use of data to promote evidence-based decision-making, especially in public administration, and to enable data to benefit society.
The strategy also draws from the European legal framework, particularly the European Data Strategy and the contents of the Data Governance Act (DGA) and the Data Act (DA).
In the context of the DGA, the Data Access Act (DZG) establishes the foundation for national governance in order to securely and anonymously enable the re-use of protected public sector data. In addition, the implementation of the DZG also establishes a competent authority for the registration of data processing services to switch between different providers and data altruism organisations to empower European data stakeholders.
The strategy aims to improve the framework conditions for the data economy and to promote the secure exchange and widespread use of data. For this reason, we prioritize maximum data protection and the highest security standards.
Within the three strategic objectives:
- development of sustainable data infrastructures,
- Activating the potential for responsible data use and
- Establishing an innovative data culture and strengthening data skills,
A total of 45 measures have been formulated and will now be detailed and implemented by the relevant ministry departments and stakeholders.
The Austrian data strategy is guided by the European vision of a single market for data and the overarching goals of the European Data Strategy.
European data strategy
Published by the European Commission in 2020, it aims to put the EU at the forefront of a data-driven society and create a single market for data. The central element of the Strategy is that people are at the heart of this development. The use of data should contribute to economic well-being and social progress. This objective and potential should be achieved through better access to and responsible use of data.
Common data spaces, developed in many domains, are a key element of the data strategy.
Improving data usability and accessibility
The key pieces of legislation proposed by the European Commission to increase trust in data sharing and improve access to data are as follows:
The Data Governance Act (DGA) – Regulation (EU) 2022/868 – aims to create a framework for improved data exchange. The public sector is called upon to enable the use of protected data (in a controlled, secure processing environment). To this end, structures are to be put in place to ensure improved findability of protected data and to support public authorities in making protected data available. In economic and societal terms, the registration of data switching services (intermediaries) and recognised data altruism organisations should further strengthen the European data economy.
The Data Act (DA) – Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 – addresses in particular manufacturers of connected products and services (Internet of Things). The aim of the Data Act is to enable users of such products to share and access data. It also allows users to share data with third parties. This is particularly relevant for repairs or maintenance of connected products (e.g. cars). This gives users more control over their data. In addition, the Data Act lays down rules to facilitate the switching of data processing services (cloud providers) and basic conditions for the use of Smart Contracts.
The Open Data Directive (EU) 2019/1024 establishes minimum conditions for the improved re-use of public sector data based on the principle of transparency and non-discrimination. A key element is anchoring the commercial usability of published public sector data. The Directive defines basic conditions for fees, formats, licenses and interoperability of data that apply in all EU Member States. It defines high-quality data sets in certain categories, which must in any case be free of charge, machine-readable and accessible via interfaces in the Union.
Objectives
These legal acts are intended to unlock untapped data potential in Europe and strengthen the European data economy.
One basic principle is the promotion of a decentralised data economy as a counter-principle to a centralised platform economy characterised by market-dominant actors.
Governance in the context of DGA and DA
The implementation of the Data Governance Act (DGA) and the Data Act (DA) requires the establishment of a governance and supervisory structure in Austria.
The DGA requires the designation of a central information point and competent bodies, while the Data Act mandates the establishment of one or more authorities to enforce its requirements.
Preparations for the implementation of the DGA and the Data Act in Austria are currently being intensively prepared.
Quelle: BKA/Digital Austria
Austrian data ecosystem: generating value from data
The national data ecosystem is characterised by an active community of business, academia and civil society initiatives. Stakeholders have established international networks and actively participate in European initiatives like GAIA-X (Gaia-X Hub Austria) and the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA). Businesses and governance are undergoing a fundamental transformation to enhance the intelligent usability of data. Data is a strategically important asset for generating value.
Data provision, re-use and data sharing among stakeholders are critical factors for the development of the Austrian data ecosystem.
Austria has already identified several good practices, including the Austria Micro Data Center (AMDC) by Statistik Austria, the Data Intelligence Offensive (DIO), and the Cooperation Open Government Data (Cooperation OGD). Austria is a leader in the digitization of public services compared to other European countries, particularly among German-speaking nations. Austria is leading in Europe with its open data portal data.gv.at, which has already published more than 50,000 data sets. An active community has already re-used the data sets for approximately 750 newly developed (registered) applications.
The Vienna University of Economics and Business conducted an environmental analysis, identifying key strengths of the Austrian data market, with the outcome as follows:
Strong starting point: A vibrant community of stakeholders from science, business and data ecosystem management.
Cross-sector use cases: Numerous data space projects in various areas have established themselves at the national level, with support from the FFG, among others.
Access to Registers for Scientific Purposes: register data is a key element of research. The provision of register data facilitates innovative projects for evaluating legislation and evidence-based policymaking.
European Data Spaces: Enhancing data sovereignty and sharing
Data spaces are a relatively new approach to integrating different data sources.
Data rooms are characterised by their decentralised approach, which strengthens the data sovereignty of data holders (data is not stored centrally in one place) and enables data sharing. The DGA, the Data Act and the European Health Data Space Regulation are key pieces of legislation closely linked to the creation of data spaces.
Common European Data Spaces are currently being developed across 14 strategically important sectors/domains.
The EU is funding several initiatives related to Common European Data Spaces under the Digital Europe programme and Horizon Europe.
The International Data Space Association (IDSA) currently counts 84 different data space projects in 26 different sectors (Status as of: 01.07.2024, Data Space Radar).
Along with Germany, Italy, and Spain, Austrian stakeholders are involved in 17 different Data Space projects across various sectors.
Quelle: BKA/Digital Austria
Data Strategy
