In the path towards smarter, more sustainable urban mobility, one theme is becoming increasingly clear: data is a critical enabler. Across various initiatives and collaborative efforts, the integration and governance of mobility data, especially through National Access Points (NAPs) and the common European mobility data space (EMDS), is proving vital to support new mobility services (NMS), informed policy-making, and user-centric transport solutions. deployEMDS plays a strategic role in this transition by demonstrating how cross-border data interoperability and trusted frameworks can be implemented in practice.
Data Sharing and integration
A recurring insight is the importance of seamless data exchange between public and private stakeholders. This is not only a technical challenge but a cultural one. By enabling data interoperability and fostering trust across sectors, entities can empower citizens to make sustainable mobility decisions based on real-time, relevant information.
This includes:
- Encouraging private sector data sharing without necessarily requiring data storage or publication.
- Emphasising the significance of open data published on NAPs, particularly for static data like electric vehicle (EV) charging station locations (related to the deployEMDS Ile-de-France use case).
- Supporting real-time data applications such as station availability, power classes, and reservation systems, which demand connection to the common European mobility data space.
NAPs and common European mobility data space: Complementary tools for mobility innovation
Rather than competing concepts, NAPs and the common European mobility data space are increasingly seen as complementary. While NAPs provide a legal and technical foundation for data availability (for example, through DATEX II), the common European mobility data space introduces a federated, interoperable framework that enhances the discoverability and reuse of data across sectors. The combination delivers added value for services like Mobility as a Service (MaaS), especially when static and real-time data streams are integrated effectively. deployEMDS helps bridge the gap between these two layers by offering practical insights and tools for harmonising data practices across different EU countries and platforms.
Governance on the common European mobility data space: A structured approach
To operationalise the common European mobility data space, the European Commission has proposed a phased governance model:
- Stage 1: Foundation Building – This stage involves establishing a working group to create practical recommendations on the common European mobility data space structure and legal set-up.
- Stage 2: Implementation – Based on those recommendations, the necessary legal acts and governance structures are developed to enable functional deployment.
- Stage 3: Wide-Scale Adoption – Governance mechanisms are scaled and harmonised at the EU level for consistent operation and enforcement.
This approach ensures stakeholder engagement from the outset and encourages co-creation of solutions that are both legally sound and technically feasible. The deployEMDS project contributes to this vision by supporting use cases that inform future governance and operational models for the common European mobility data space.
The Interlinking Layer
One of the most critical building blocks of the common European mobility data space is the interlinking layer. It is designed to:
- Provide a single access point to data ecosystems, participants, and services.
- Support metadata-driven discovery without handling raw data directly.
- Ensure low barriers to entry for data ecosystem onboarding.
- Build on existing solutions like NAPCORE, ensuring continuity and future-readiness.
This layer is expected to become the core infrastructure of the common European mobility data space, and in consequence for deployEMDS. It will help ensure that mobility and transport data spaces are connected not only with each other but also with data from sectors such as energy and tourism.
Best practices and open science
Strong emphasis is placed on the value of open science and replicability. Sharing successful approaches, technologies, and governance models across regions supports the harmonised growth of data ecosystems. Platforms like NAPCORE-X are expected to play a central role in this process, acting as hubs for best practices and shared knowledge. deployEMDS supports this by documenting and promoting transferable use cases and lessons learned across different cities and regions, especially through its exploitation channels such as the Innovation and scaling group and the Network of follower cities.
What’s ahead: Key milestones
The roadmap includes several important steps:
- Launch of NAPCORE-X in July 2025, pending grant agreement.
- Publication of a joint position paper by NAPCORE and deployEMDS on the interlinking layer (Q3 2025).
- Deployment of the interlinking layer (Q3 2025).
- Completion of the Simpl feasibility study (September 2025).
- Exploration of a dedicated Expert Group or Working Group for common European mobility data space governance (Q3/Q4 2025).
- Full deployment of deployEMDS (Q4 2026).
This evolving ecosystem highlights a growing maturity in Europe’s approach to mobility data. By building a collaborative, interoperable, and legally robust environment, stakeholders are laying the groundwork for more sustainable, efficient, and citizen-oriented urban transport systems. deployEMDS is not only contributing to this transformation, but is also actively implementing the common European mobility data space framework through real-world use cases, technical pilots, and cross-border collaboration, bringing the vision of a connected, data-driven mobility ecosystem closer to reality.
The future of mobility lies in data and in how well we learn to share, govern, and leverage it.
