Dawex welcomes the publication by CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, of the CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) - Part 1 on Trusted Data Transaction. This marks an important milestone in the ongoing efforts towards standardization in Data Exchange, creating trust and interoperability within and across Data Spaces.
The CEN workshop is a pre-standardization initiative co-proposed in 2023 by Dawex, Fraunhofer ISST and TNO, gathering as active contributors and participants representatives from. It was joined by a highly representative group of organizations from the associative, corporate and institutional worlds, including Gaia-X, IDSA, BDVA, FIWARE Foundation, Microsoft, Agdatahub, Hub One, SQS, and Connekt, and the European Commission, which has been a highly engaged and supportive participant in the workshop.
Coming from the associative, corporate and institutional world, workshop participants reached an agreement on key definitions and concepts around the scope of trusted data transactions. This is a crucial step as it sets the foundation for defining the characteristics of trust in a data transaction and the criteria to measure it. These topics are currently being addressed in Part 2 of the workshop.
Why is this initiative on Trusted Data Transaction important ?
- It directly contributes to the building of an EU Trusted Data Framework, one of the top three policy priorities, out of 72 actions listed, in the 2024 annual Union work programme for European standardization. The EU Trusted Data Framework encompasses a comprehensive set of standards, practices, and rules to ensure trusted, legally compliant data sharing across parties, including data intermediaries and altruism organizations.
- It provides a concrete response to the recommendation made by the High-Level Forum (data interoperability workstream), a multi-stakeholder group chaired by former Commissioner Thierry Breton, to initiate the development of a harmonized European standard for trusted data transactions
- It aligns with key provisions of the Data Act, which stipulates that the Commission shall request one or more European standardization organizations to draft harmonized standards that satisfy the essential requirements laid down in Article 33 of the Data Act. These requirements address the interoperability of data, data sharing mechanisms and services, as well as of common European data spaces. Participants in data spaces offering data or data services, such as data intermediaries, that meet these harmonized standards shall be presumed to be in conformity with these essential requirements.
The CEN Workshop on Trusted Data Transaction will accelerate and prepare for such standards, and facilitate compliance of data space participants.
Discussions for part 2 have already begun, with more organizations joining the working group, demonstrating the importance of the topics being discussed. Results are expected at the end of 2025.
The CEN Workshop Agreement is now freely available, you can download CWA Trusted Data Transaction Part 1.
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