Cyprus in trouble with EU over use of open data

The European Commission on Thursday decided to open infringement proceedings by sending a letter of formal notice to Cyprus among other countries over failure to transpose in their national legislations the directive on open data and the reuse of public sector information.

Cyprus, along with Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Spain, Estonia, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden have received warning for failed to provide complete information on how the revised EU rules on open data and the reuse of public sector information (Directive (EU) 2019/1024) are being transposed in their national laws. They will now have two months to respond to the letters and take the necessary measures. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue reasoned opinions.

Member states had to transpose this directive into national law and notify transposition measures to the Commission by July 17, 2021.

The directive on open data and the reuse of public sector information, adopted in June 2019, aims to unlock the benefits of data and help make more of the vast and valuable pool of data resources produced by public bodies available for reuse.

“The directive will stimulate the development of innovative solutions such as mobility apps, increase transparency by opening the access to publicly funded research data, and support new technologies, including artificial intelligence,” the commission said.