AIOTI WG Policy prepared a response to the public call for evidence about the European Data Union Strategy.
Technological Readiness and Documentation Gaps: Data space technologies are rapidly becoming a reality. However, the current offerings are still maturing, with several foundational components not yet fully defined such as observability and compliance with regulations and rules set by the Data Space Authority. In this regard, the SIMPL initiative by the European Commission stands out, as it has funded the development of middleware for the deployment of data spaces. Nevertheless, there is an increasing need to coordinate efforts across organizations and open-source communities, whose documentation is often incomplete or inconsistent. At the same time, it is important to preserve diversity and ensure broad accessibility. Addressing these gaps would help accelerate adoption and enable stakeholders to build interoperable systems more effectively.
Cross-Border Communication and Coordination: while the EU aims to create a unified digital single market, communication across member states does not always run as smoothly. Multiple factors – e.g. national regulations, institutional fragmentation, and language differences – often continue to obstruct seamless data exchange. These issues pose challenges to the establishment of shared governance models and technical standards.
Unclear Data Ownership and Governance: Currently, there are no adequate technical mechanisms to clearly define ownership and control rights once data is shared, whether by the original data provider, the platform, or the data consumer. This lack of definition creates operational uncertainty, particularly in cross-border and cross-sectoral environments.
Balancing Diversity and Standardization: the EU’s digital ecosystem presents a diverse landscape with a wide range of actors, and sector-specific needs. However, such diversity complicates efforts to define common standards, reference architectures, and identity systems. Projects like Simpl illustrate such uncertainty around which frameworks to adopt. In this context, a significant challenge lays in preserving such diversity while achieving the level of standardization needed for the successful development of interoperable solutions.