Revised Data Sharing Bill Proposed by President Rinkēvičs
In a bid to promote a more open, collaborative, and efficient public sector, Latvia's President, Edgars Rinkevičs, has proposed an innovative data sharing initiative. The aim is to counter the current issue of "data feudalism," where state institutions often refuse to share information with each other, leading to siloed data and inefficiencies.
The proposed initiative focuses on establishing clear legal bases for data reuse beyond the original purpose for which it was collected. This will allow public institutions to combine and analyze data across approximately 700 state information systems, thereby enabling better decision-making, reducing redundant data requests, and streamlining administrative procedures.
The central analytics institution at the heart of this initiative is the Central Statistical Office, which will be legally empowered to obtain and combine data, including personal data, from various state and local government bodies. This move is expected to provide a more complete and accurate understanding of the situation, trends, and challenges, as President Rinkevičs believes that combining and analyzing data from various state information systems will offer invaluable insights.
The proposed amendment aims to establish three new purposes for data processing: policy planning, improving the efficiency of services, and research and innovation. This shift towards a more open data landscape is expected to promote data reuse in state administration and strengthen cross-sector data analytics in public administration.
The initiative is in line with Latvia's commitment to modernising its data infrastructure. The country is investing in the development of a secure, integrated digital research environment compatible with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). This includes creating a federated research data repository (DataverseLV) that adheres to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), fostering collaboration and data sharing both nationally and internationally.
It's worth noting that the President's initiative differs from the system in Estonia, where many state institutions are allowed to share data with each other as part of that country's famous e-government system. Under Latvia's constitution, the President can propose laws to parliament in addition to those drafted by the Saeima. However, lawmakers are under no obligation to enact laws suggested by the President.
The draft law does not affect the exchange of information for which access restrictions are established in special laws, such as health and criminal record data. Nor does it apply to or change the procedure for processing special categories of personal data ("sensitive data"). The President's initiative is outlined in a letter from President Edgars Rinkevičs to the Presidium of the Saeima, and the State Competitiveness Commission has proposed an amendment to the Law on the Structure of State Administration to support this initiative.
In conclusion, President Rinkevičs' data sharing initiative seeks to shift Latvia's public sector data landscape from fragmented and guarded towards a more open, collaborative, and efficient ecosystem. By promoting responsible data reuse and cross-sectoral analytics, the initiative aims to improve public services and policy planning, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and foster innovation and open science.
- The data-sharing initiative proposed by Latvia's President, Edgars Rinkevičs, is expected to be supported by the amendment to the Law on the Structure of State Administration, as suggested by the State Competitiveness Commission.
- This initiative, aligned with Latvia's commitment to modernising its data infrastructure, aims to enhance collaboration and data sharing among public institutions, leveraging technology in line with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) principles.
- The EU, along with media outlets, holds significant interest in this development, as the proposed initiative could transform Latvia's public sector data landscape, promoting a more open, collaborative, and efficient use of data-and-cloud-computing resources.
