Data intermediation services are expected to play a key role in the data economy, in particular in supporting and promoting voluntary data sharing practices between undertakings or facilitating data sharing in the context of obligations set by Union or national law. They could become a tool to facilitate the exchange of substantial amounts of relevant data. Data intermediation services providers, which may include public sector bodies, that offer services that connect the different actors have the potential to contribute to the efficient pooling of data as well as to the facilitation of bilateral data sharing. Specialised data intermediation services that are independent from data subjects, data holders and data users could have a facilitating role in the emergence of new data-driven ecosystems independent from any player with a significant degree of market power, while allowing non-discriminatory access to the data economy for undertakings of all sizes, in particular SMEs and start-ups with limited financial, legal or administrative means. This will be particularly important in the context of the establishment of common European data spaces, namely purpose- or sector-specific or cross-sectoral interoperable frameworks of common standards and practices to share or jointly process data for, inter alia, the development of new products and services, scientific research or civil society initiatives. Data intermediation services could include bilateral or multilateral sharing of data or the creation of platforms or databases enabling the sharing or joint use of data, as well as the establishment of specific infrastructure for the interconnection of data subjects and data holders with data users.
