Data Strategy Briefing — EU Council General Approach on the Data Governance Act

EU telecommunications ministers agreed the Council's general approach on the Data Governance Act (DGA) on 25 March 2021. The position clarifies neutrality and security requirements for data intermediation services, sets out conditions for re-use of protected public-sector data, and establishes supervision for data altruism organizations.

What changed

• The Council position tightened neutrality rules for data intermediaries, including separation of data from other commercial uses and security obligations.
• It detailed conditions for re-use of protected public-sector data, including confidentiality safeguards and secure processing environments.
• The approach defined registration and oversight for data altruism organizations, requiring transparency and EU-level coordination.

Why it matters

• Data-space operators and cloud platforms must account for neutrality constraints when offering data intermediation or sharing services in the EU.
• Public-sector data re-use projects need compliant access environments, logging, and confidentiality controls aligned with the Council text.
• Organizations planning data altruism programs should design governance and consent processes to meet registration criteria.

Action checklist

• Map EU data-sharing services against DGA intermediation definitions and document segregation controls and security measures.
• Update contracts and technical designs for public data re-use to include confidentiality guarantees and monitoring requirements.
• Draft data altruism participation terms, consent flows, and transparency notices in line with the Council's oversight model.

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