Position paper - European Commission Communication on Building the European Data Economy

AmCham EU’s members share the Commission’s goal of a building a Digital Single Market of the next generation where connected machines and objects enable huge benefits for the economy and society. The data economy, and its benefits, requires significant and sustained private and public sector investment and innovation. The Commission should adopt a legislative proposal establishing the principle of free flow of data, making clear that regulatory obstacles to the free flow of data in the Union, both in national legislation and public procurement rules, are generally impermissible. Furthermore, AmCham EU does not see the need for introducing new policies in the emerging data economy to tackle identified “emerging issues”. Contractual solutions are sufficient to ensure parties’ interests are protected. While the data economy is still nascent, premature and overly-prescriptive intervention may chill, rather than encourage, innovation.