ITI: Major Concerns Remain After EU Lawmakers Agreement on EU Data Act
BRUSSELS – Today, global tech trade association ITI, the Information Technology Industry Council, issued the following statement in response to the trilogue agreement reached by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union on the EU Data Act:
“Today’s agreement is a missed opportunity to make the Data Act a clearer and more effective framework for businesses in the EU,” said ITI’s Director General for Europe Guido Lobrano. “While we appreciate constructive changes made to certain provisions, we have ongoing concerns regarding the Act’s broad and ambiguous approach to data sharing, including on the expansion of the products and services originally in scope and the safeguards for trade secrets protection, as well as the rules impacting international transfers of non-personal data. Given the Act’s widespread implications for businesses across Europe, it’s critical that lawmakers work with industry to carefully assess its full impact and facilitate compliance as it is implemented.”
In March, ITI outlined recommendations (opens in a new tab) to address some of the challenges within the EU Data Act, including the need to increase the clarity of scope of the data sharing provisions; maintain strong safeguards for the protection of trade secrets; and resolve the legal uncertainties surrounding international transfers of non-personal data.
The recommendations followed a joint statement (opens in a new tab) ITI issued with 12 other associations in January outlining the business community’s concerns with the Data Act.