Findata and Luxembourg forge an alliance ahead of EU health data reforms
Finnish Findata and Luxembourg have partnered to share expertise on health data governance as Europe union implements new regulations that will transform how medical data is accessed for research and innovation.
Text by Martti Asikainen, 30.9.2025 | Photo Adobe Stock Photos
Finland’s health data authority, Findata, and Luxembourg’s Ministry for Digitalisation signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September to strengthen cooperation on health data governance and artificial intelligence.
The partnership comes at a crucial time for European data policy. The EU’s European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation came into force in March 2025 and will reshape how health data is used and shared across all 27 EU Member States.
The EU regulation will be implemented in phases between 2025 and 2031, requiring member states to establish new systems for managing health data requests from researchers and businesses.
The MoU focuses on sharing expertise in two key areas: the re-use of pseudonymised data (where identifying information is removed) in secure processing environments, and the use of AI regulatory sandboxes — controlled environments where organisations can test AI applications under regulatory supervision.
Both countries aim to improve transparency and build public trust in how public sector data is used for research and innovation.
Finland's experience as a Model
Finland brings considerable expertise to the partnership.
Since 2019, Findata has operated as Europe’s first centralised one-stop authority for permits related to the secondary use of social and health data — meaning data originally collected for healthcare purposes but later used for research, policymaking, or commercial development.
As an early mover in the EU, Findata has shared its knowledge with other member states to help them build capacity and avoid implementation challenges. Finland’s legal framework has also influenced the development of the EHDS regulation itself.
According to Findata, the cooperation will help accelerate the use of health and social data whilst maintaining strict data protection and security standards.
Luxembourg's Ambitious Strategy
Luxembourg aims to become a leading hub for health data access in Europe by offering streamlined, centralised procedures for researchers and businesses seeking access to high-quality health data.
The country’s national data protection authority, CGPD, will oversee the system. Luxembourg hopes the approach will provide legal certainty, attract research investment, and foster innovation in data-driven healthcare and life sciences.
Beyond technical collaboration, the partnership seeks to raise public awareness of data rights and support the development of interoperable tools that can be used across Europe.
The two countries hope their cooperation will demonstrate how health data can be used responsibly to advance medical research and economic development.
This article was produced in collaboration with the AI Health project (2023–2025), implemented by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
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