The ever-growing accumulation and use of digital data raises legal challenges for private and public entities as regards data ownership and the cross-border use and the protection of such data. The conference, organised by the Academy of European Law (ERA), looked at the EU legal framework and its loopholes, and offered a platform for discussion on how to adapt the existing framework on the European data economy. ELI President Christiane Wendehorst participated in a round table session and spoke on the topic of ‘Encouraging Access to, Fair Use and Sharing of Big Data’.