In an increasingly digital Europe, data has become a strategic resource. Establishing a single market capable of managing data with confidence and transparency is one of the major challenges and opportunities of this decade. From Spain, BAIDATA is driving this European vision by connecting businesses, public authorities and technology centres to make data a shared and trusted asset.

Last year alone, the data economy in the EU was worth over 800,000 million euros. Other studies also pointed to annual growth of 9.3 per cent in the EU-27’s GDP and projections of up to 1.41 trillion euros by 2030.

Within this framework, European digital sovereignty is built upon common data spaces. These are set to play a transformative role, enabling new products, services and business models, whilst strengthening a more interconnected, resilient and competitive economy.

More than just storage infrastructures, these spaces constitute secure and governed environments that allow information to be shared between public authorities, businesses and citizens without losing control over assets. Their value extends beyond the exchange of data: they lay the foundations for the development of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, which requires high-quality, trustworthy information to generate innovative solutions.

This strategic vision for data spaces is already taking shape in a developing sectoral ecosystem, with key initiatives in areas such as industry, health, agriculture and mobility. These sectoral efforts represent the practical realisation of digital sovereignty, in line with the Data Act and the Data Union Strategy.

BAIDATA, as a government-led initiative designed to connect businesses, technology centres and public administrations around the strategic use of data, does not merely observe and understand the European data strategy: it implements it. Together with its partners, it drives projects such as TEMS, SM4RTENANCE and CIRPASS‑2, which bring to life the vision of a digital Europe where governance, interoperability and artificial intelligence generate tangible value.

Through these projects, it contributes directly to Europe’s priorities regarding data sovereignty, the circular economy and industrial digitalisation. To this end, it aligns specific use cases with the Single Data Market agenda and European policies on sustainability and interoperability.

BAIDATA is driving the adoption of common data infrastructures and governance frameworks that enable cross-border data sharing amongst multiple stakeholders across the EU, with notable initiatives such as Catena-X in the automotive sector.

With an active network of European partners and projects, BAIDATA creates the ideal environment for organisations to experiment, learn and benefit from the new data economy model.

These milestones reinforce the practical implementation of the Data Strategy, fostering public-private partnerships and the scaling up of data-driven solutions, working from Spain outwards across the EU.