Center for Data Innovation

The Center for Data Innovation studies the intersection of data, technology, and public policy.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Apply AI Strategy

3 Jun 2025

The Center welcomes the European Commissions ambition to accelerate the uptake of AI across the economy and public sector as part of its broader AI continent action plan. To make this ambition a reality, the EU should prioritise practical, near-term applications of AI that boost competitiveness, productivity, and innovation, while reducing ongoing barriers to adoption.
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Response to Cloud and AI Development Act

3 Jun 2025

The Center recognises the European Commissions concerns over EU computing capacity. Data centres play a key role in the acceleration of AI development and deploymenta significant factor of the EUs competitiveness strategyto which the EU currently lacks. The Center also acknowledges the lack of competitive EU-based cloud computing services. It is critical that, in tackling both these issues, the EU avoids engaging in digital protectionism, which would harm European competitiveness further. Instead, the European Commission should 1) reform public procurement to prioritise performance and innovation whilst preserving open markets and 2) address barriers for cloud service providers to enable innovation-led cloud competitiveness.
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Response to Key performance indicators for the Digital Decade policy programme 2030

10 Mar 2023

The Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26) is pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commissions key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the progress towards the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 digital targets, as established by Article 4(1) of Decision (EU) 2022/2481 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Europes Digital Decade is a unique program that, if successfully implemented, will help the European Union supercharge digital innovation and technology usage in its member states by 2030.The Center commends the European Commission for working towards measuring the EUs success or failure on its Digital Decade goals. Analyzing where the EU is succeeding and failing in its digital transformation will be critical in redirecting resources and course-correcting toward its 2030 targets. Please find a table of targeted feedback below and proposed changes on how to improve some of the proposed KPIs.
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Response to European statistics on population - ESOP

8 Mar 2023

The Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26) is pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commissions consultation and call for evidence regarding the regulation on European statistics on population and housing, amending Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 and repealing Regulations (EC) No 763/2008 and (EU) No 1260/2013. The Center would like to commend the European Commission for working to improve the collection and sharing of statistical data in the European Union (EU). Better data supports better decisions and outcomes. The proposed European statistics regulation aims to create more relevant, consistent, and comparable data collection for population and housing statistics across the EU. Differences in existing data collection across EU member states make it more difficult to analyze data. Population statistics are critical to understanding and addressing demographic change, socioeconomic cohesion, achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, resource allocation, and the demand for goods and services. The proposed regulation creates an EU-level framework to update and harmonize data collection and analysis of demographic, housing, and family statistics. The European Commission should use this proposed regulation to also address the data divide: the social and economic inequalities that can arise from a lack of data collection and use of data about some individuals and communities. Specifically, the Commission should clarify in the regulation the definition of hard to reach groups.
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Meeting with Frances Fitzgerald (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

15 Feb 2023 · Combating violence against women

Meeting with Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Jan 2023 · Metaverse

Response to Cyber Resilience Act

15 Dec 2022

The Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26) is pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commissions consultation and call for evidence regarding the Cyber Resilience Act. The Center previously submitted feedback on the roadmap for the Cyber Resilience Act and has been closely following its development. The Center would like to commend the European Union (EU) for focusing on the growing threat of cybersecurity incidents, which is predicted to cost $10.5 trillion by 2025. The EU has a critical role in promoting cybersecurity practices that counter global cybersecurity threats and the Cyber Resilience Act is a strong step in the right direction. The Cyber Resilience Act is intended to address gaps in the EUs existing regulatory framework to improve cybersecurity in connected devices. The proposed regulation would apply a broad horizontal regulatory framework to products with digital elementsincluding connected devices and non-embedded softwareto enforce cybersecurity standards across the digital supply chain. Unfortunately, the draft Cyber Resilience Act is too broad in scope and needs clearer definitions. The legislations fundamental pitfalls will burden businesses with compliance and undermine avenues for innovation like open source software. The following provides an overview of problems in the Cyber Resilience Act and how to address them. With targeted changes, the Cyber Resilience Act can promote better cybersecurity in the internal market without hurting competition and innovation across Europe.
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Response to Cyber Resilience Act

24 May 2022

The Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26) is pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commission’s consultation and call for evidence regarding the Cyber Resilience Act initiative. The Cyber Resilience Act initiative seeks to work in conjunction with existing legislation, like the Cybersecurity Act and the Directive on the security of Network Information Systems, to improve cybersecurity by addressing gaps in the existing regulatory framework for digital products and services. We would like to commend the European Union (EU) for focusing on the growing threat of cybersecurity incidents. In 2020, global cybercrime cost €5.5 trillion, and global cybercrime is predicted to cost $10.5 trillion by 2025. As cybersecurity vulnerabilities continue to grow, the EU can play an important role in bolstering cybersecurity practices. The Commission has outlined five broad policy options it is considering at this stage. In response to the Commission’s call for evidence for its impact assessment, the following discusses these options as well as their potential benefits and drawbacks. We caution against both maintaining the status quo or pursuing broad horizontal regulation and offer suggestions on how the Commission may pursue the other options.
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Response to Data Act (including the review of the Directive 96/9/EC on the legal protection of databases)

13 May 2022

On behalf of the Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26), we are pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commission’s adopted proposal for the Data Act. The Data Act contains fundamental pitfalls and needs significant modification so as to not harm the European data economy.
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Response to Requirements for Artificial Intelligence

6 Aug 2021

The Center for Data Innovation is pleased to respond to the European Commission’s request for feedback on the Artificial Intelligence Act. Please see the enclosed document for our comments.
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Response to Liability rules for Artificial Intelligence – The Artificial Intelligence Liability Directive (AILD)

28 Jul 2021

The Center for Data Innovation is pleased to respond to the European Commission’s request for feedback on adapting product liability to the digital age. Please see the enclosed document for our comments.
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Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

5 May 2021 · AI Act

Response to Legislative framework for the governance of common European data spaces

8 Feb 2021

On behalf of the Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26), we are pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on European Data Governance (Data Governance Act).
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Response to A European Health Data Space

4 Feb 2021

On behalf of the Center for Data Innovation (Transparency Register #: 367682319221-26), we are pleased to submit this feedback on the European Commission’s roadmap on “Digital health data and services—the European health data space.”
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Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Dec 2020 · Artificial Intelligence

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Apr 2020 · Artificial Intelligence

Meeting with Stig Joergen Gren (Cabinet of Vice-President Andrus Ansip)

7 Dec 2017 · The State of Data Innovation in the EU

Response to Fairness in platform-to-business relations

22 Nov 2017

To whom it may concern, On behalf of the Center for Data Innovation, it is our pleasure to submit the comments in the attached file to the European Commission, in response to its recent impact assessment on “fairness in platform-to-business relations,” a study to investigate practices by online platforms—digital services that cater to two-sided markets—in their relations with other businesses. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Data Innovation is the leading think tank studying the intersection of data, technology, and public policy. With staff in Washington and Brussels, the Center promotes pragmatic policies designed to maximize the benefits of data-driven innovation in the public and private sectors. Online platforms drastically reduce the costs of market entry for businesses and enable entirely new business models. However, their success at creating competition and innovation is a function of their flexibility in designing the rules and terms of their services. Policymakers should continue to allow platforms to set their terms of service because these businesses are best positioned to optimize their platforms for both consumers and producers. The impact assessment suggests new regulation to address disputes between platforms and businesses. But proper enforcement of existing law is sufficient. Just as shopping centers can set and change their policies about who can sell what and how, platforms should be allowed to do the same. And just as shopping centers have an incentive to treat their tenants fairly, so too do platforms have it in their interests to behave fairly, lest they lose the supply side of their platform to competitors, and the demand side along with it. The impact assessment also cites data access as a possible cause for regulation. Industry-specific rules and anti-trust enforcement will work better than comprehensive rules governing data access, because the latter would fail to account for the nuances of platform-to-business relationships in the multitude of different scenarios, and harm consumer choice and competition between platforms. Yours faithfully, Daniel Castro Director Center for Data Innovation dcastro@datainnovation.org Nicholas Wallace Senior Policy Analyst Center for Data Innovation nwallace@datainnovation.org
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