This research spotlight newsletter unpacks the new European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation, its implication for privacy, research, and data management, and why the GDPR alone is no longer enough.
Health Data Access Bodies will authorise secondary data use across the EU but I wonder with each member state interpreting the rules independently, will the promised harmonisation actually work in practice, or just repeat the GDPR’s fragmentation?
That concern is valid and widely shared. While the EHDS sets a uniform legal framework, its effectiveness depends heavily on how consistently Health Data Access Bodies apply it. Without strong coordination, guidance and enforcement at the EU level, national variations could undermine the system’s credibility. Harmonisation will require more than aligned text; it will need political will, practical cooperation and clear case law to avoid repeating the GDPR’s fragmented outcomes.
Exactly :) having the rules is one thing, but making sure every country sticks to them the same way is another. Without that, it risks becoming another uneven and confusing system!
If national bodies start interpreting things too differently, we could see the same confusion and inconsistency that followed the GDPR. Consistent enforcement and coordination will be key to making it work.
Health Data Access Bodies will authorise secondary data use across the EU but I wonder with each member state interpreting the rules independently, will the promised harmonisation actually work in practice, or just repeat the GDPR’s fragmentation?
That concern is valid and widely shared. While the EHDS sets a uniform legal framework, its effectiveness depends heavily on how consistently Health Data Access Bodies apply it. Without strong coordination, guidance and enforcement at the EU level, national variations could undermine the system’s credibility. Harmonisation will require more than aligned text; it will need political will, practical cooperation and clear case law to avoid repeating the GDPR’s fragmented outcomes.
Exactly :) having the rules is one thing, but making sure every country sticks to them the same way is another. Without that, it risks becoming another uneven and confusing system!
If national bodies start interpreting things too differently, we could see the same confusion and inconsistency that followed the GDPR. Consistent enforcement and coordination will be key to making it work.