Greece is proposing new legislation to bring its data laws in line with European Union regulations and boost the sharing of public sector data.
The bill, introduced by the Ministry of Digital Governance, aims to create clearer rules for managing and reusing public data while protecting sensitive information like personal data, intellectual property and trade secrets.
The proposed law would add regulations to make it easier to share public data securely. It also creates a framework for data-sharing services and organizations that handle data donated for public good, such as scientific research and health care.
The government says reusing public data has been difficult in Greece because of the lack of a unified strategy. This has led to inefficiencies and missed opportunities to use public data for economic and social benefits.
Under the bill, public sector bodies will decide who can access protected data based on clear criteria. The ministry will provide guidance. If further use is allowed, measures like anonymization and confidentiality agreements will be required to protect sensitive data.
The bill also outlines the role of data intermediaries, which will operate under a regulated framework to build trust between data providers and users. The ministry will oversee these entities.
It also introduces recognized data altruism organizations, which will collect and manage voluntarily shared data for public interest projects. The ministry will keep a registry of these organizations and supervise them.
The ministry will also develop a national strategy to improve the use of public data. Data officers in public institutions will oversee data availability and compliance. A committee led by the Minister of Digital Governance will oversee the strategy.
The government says the bill is needed to modernize Greece’s data management and unlock economic and social opportunities through better use of public data.