Guiding questions

Defining Participant Roles

Purpose: Clarify the entities and actors engaging in the data space, their categories, rights, and responsibilities.

1. Participant Categories

   1. Who are the Data Providers, Data Users, Data Rights Holders, Intermediaries, and Operators?

   2. Should additional roles, such as Data Space Members or Governance Authority Members, be defined?

   3. How should intermediary and operator roles be formally defined?

   4. What are the distinctions in access, rights, and obligations among different roles?

   Role-Specific Responsibilities

2. Role-Specific Responsibilities

   1. What responsibilities do different participant types hold regarding data quality, compliance, and technical readiness?

   2. How will intermediary services (e.g. service brokers, trust anchors) be governed as participants?

   Additional: Strategic Questions

3. Additional: Strategic Questions

   1. Who are the internal and external stakeholders affected by the data space?

   2. How can underrepresented stakeholders be included in decision-making?

   3. What roles will each stakeholder assume within the data space?

   4. How will participant roles be formalised in the Rulebook?

Onboarding Procedures

Purpose: Ensure structured and transparent integration of new participants.

1. General Terms and Conditions

   1. What common terms (admission criteria, rights, duties, access policies) apply to all participants?

   2. How are terms tailored based on data type (e.g., environmental, personal, sensitive) and regulation?

2. Pre-Conditions for Entry

   1. What eligibility criteria must be met (e.g., compliance checks, identity verification, technical requirements)?

   2. What attestation mechanisms will be used (first-, second-, or third-party)?

3. Onboarding Process

   1. Will onboarding be application-based or automatic upon fulfilling conditions?

   2. How will conformity be assessed? What mechanisms verify adherence to governance policies?

   3. How will candidates be notified of approval or rejection?

4. Post-Onboarding Support

   1. How will access credentials be issued?

   2. What technical support will be provided to ensure seamless integration?

   3. How will continuous monitoring and feedback loops be implemented?

5. Additional Strategic Questions

   1. What rules and mechanisms ensure onboarding supports legal compliance (e.g. GDPR)?

   2. How is access managed and monitored post-onboarding?

   3. How can onboarding lower participation barriers while maintaining data quality?

Data Transaction Enablement

Purpose: Facilitate secure, interoperable data sharing among participants.

1. Operational Enablement

   1. How are participants technically enabled to publish or consume data services/products?

   2. How are mismatches between supply and demand identified and addressed?

2. Governance Adaptation

   1. What feedback mechanisms exist to update governance rules as the ecosystem scales?

   2. How are new sectors, countries, or regulatory updates incorporated?

3. Additional Strategic Questions

   1. How does the governance authority promote seamless data transactions?

   2. What procedures exist to attract new participants based on ecosystem gaps?

   3. How is the Rulebook updated to reflect evolving business, technical, or legal needs?

Offboarding Procedures

Purpose: Ensure smooth and secure participant exits while safeguarding ecosystem integrity.

Exit Scenarios

1. What are the valid reasons for offboarding (voluntary, non-compliance, insolvency)?

2. How are these scenarios managed differently?

Offboarding Process

1. What formal steps must participants follow to exit the data space?

2. How are obligations verified (e.g., contractual closure, data deletion, financial settlement)?

3. What support is provided during the offboarding transition?

Post-Exit Oversight

1. How are affected parties notified?

2. How is identity and access removed from registries and systems?

3. How are participant credentials managed after exit (revocation, expiration)

Additional Strategic Questions

1. What rules define contract and data handling obligations upon exit?

2. How are security and data sovereignty ensured during offboarding?

3. How frequently is the offboarding framework reviewed and updated?

Additional Strategic Questions

To support stakeholder co-creation and governance design.

1. How will participation policies foster inclusivity and trust while maintaining regulatory rigour?

2. What role does the Rulebook play in managing expectations across use cases and participant types?

3. How can the governance authority continuously improve the efficiency of onboarding and offboarding processes?

4. How are external stakeholders’ concerns incorporated, even if they are not direct participants?

5. What mechanisms exist for conflict resolution between participants during their lifecycle?

6. How can collaboration be strengthened across the ecosystem?

7. Which mechanisms encourage active engagement from all participant types?