Cyprus achieves trend-setter status in European open data assessment

Cyprus secured a position as a digital leader following the release of the European Union’s 2025 open data maturity assessment.

According to the report, Cyprus achieved an overall maturity score of 94.6 per cent, which placed it within the ‘trend-setters’ cluster of European countries.

This classification indicated that Cyprus possessed an advanced open data policy reflecting technical and policy developments at the EU level, including those regarding high-value datasets.

The report highlighted that substantial coordination of open data activities existed at all levels of government within the country.

Cyprus performed across four pillars, scoring 99.2 per cent in policy, 91.0 per cent in portal features, and 88.1 per cent in data quality.

The nation achieved a 100 per cent impact score, a result that measured how effectively open data was repurposed to create societal and economic benefits.

“Countries have distinct profiles shaped by their maturity in the underlying indicators,” the European Union report stated.

The findings showed that the national portal, data.gov.cy, offered over 1,200 datasets and brought together 94 different organisations to foster transparency.

The governance model in Cyprus evolved into a top-down structure that engaged the private and academic sectors.

“In Cyprus, open data liaison officers, a well as private and academic sector actors are engaged through the open data team, which ensures that their views are reflected in the open data action plan proposals to the Minister of Finance,” the assessment explained.

The Law on Open Data and Public Sector Information Reuse established a national Open Data Governance Board to represent stakeholders from civil society and universities.

“Cyprus primarily follows a top-down model for open data governance but has been transitioning to a hybrid approach since 2019 with the establishment of an Open Data Governance Board representing key stakeholders,” the report noted regarding the shift formalised on November 21, 2021.

This governance framework ensured that local and regional bodies were included in the national digital ecosystem.

“Cyprus’s governance structure supports local and regional open data initiatives at the national level,” the EU observed, pointing to hackathons run by municipalities and semi-governmental organisations.

The programme relied on a network of specialised liaison officers who acted as points of contact within public sector bodies.

These officers were responsible for identifying and collecting new datasets and ensuring they were uploaded to the central portal in machine-readable formats.

Practical applications of this data were visible through several environmental reuse cases.

One example was the Air Quality Cyprus mobile application, which provided real-time data on atmospheric pollutants for citizens with respiratory conditions.

“Air Quality Cyprus is a mobile application developed by the Cypriot Department of Labour Inspection,” the report detailed.

Another project, Green Charge, helped electric vehicle users locate charging stations to promote sustainable transport and reduce carbon emissions.

“Green Charge (formerly CY Charging) is a mobile application designed to support electric vehicle users in Cyprus by providing real-time information on charging station locations,” the study confirmed.

Additionally, the Flood Hazard and Risk Map used open geospatial datasets to help local authorities and citizens prepare for extreme weather events.

“The Flood Hazard and Risk Map is a web-based application developed to inform the public about flood risks in their areas of residence,” the European Union added.

The national portal also provided specific guidelines to help developers integrate these datasets into new projects.

“The structured categorisation of datasets in the portal, makes it easier for users to find and find the data most relevant to their needs,” the EU experts noted.

By making high-value datasets such as company ownership and Earth observation data free for reuse, Cyprus aligned itself with European legislation.

“The maturity score shows the country’s strong commitment to ensuring that open data translates into tangible societal and economic benefits,” the report concluded.