Key points
The EESC welcomes the proposal and believes that this initiative is appropriate and necessary given that the processing, storage and sharing of digital data are becoming increasingly important both for the economy and for social and civic reasons.
The EESC:
- considers it essential to adopt a harmonised framework of rules able to inspire citizens, consumers, SMEs and, in particular, micro enterprises to trust that their data will be properly protected;
- believes it is important to provide for appropriate forms of prior consultation and negotiation with social partners, if data management and processing using artificial intelligence tools relate to the sphere of work; organised civil society has also to be involved when such tool affect citizens’ rights;
- supports the proposal to identify national authorities responsible for ensuring appropriate oversight of the new rules and to establish contact points in each Member State to be accessible to all interested parties;
- welcomes the proposal to lay down a regulation for organisations dealing with "altruistic data" management, and supports the requirement for these organisations to have legal personality as not-for-profit entities and pursue objectives of general interest, autonomously and independently from other organisations pursuing for-profit data management objectives;
- considers recognising the usefulness of a cooperative model for establishing data management and exchange and as a tool for neutral shared data management; to this end it encourages the Commission and the Member States to support SMEs in order to take initiatives to develop mutual organisations for the management and exchange of data;
- believes that the protection of personal data, together with the protection of digital identity and privacy, are fundamental aspects of data governance directly linked to respect for human dignity and fundamental rights.
For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat.