Please find here the main references to legislation about Open Data: EU Directives, national and local rules.

Le direttive europee

Directives on re-use of public sector information (PSI - Public Sector Information):

  • Directive 2003/98/CE of European Parliament and Council (17 November 2003) about the re-use of public sector information.
  • Directive 2013/37/UE of European Parliament and Council (26 June 2013) modifying the directive 2003/98/CE about the re-use of public sector information.
  • Directive 2019/1024 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on open data and the re-use of public sector information.

European strategy for data

The European data strategy aims to make the EU a leader in a data-driven society. The creation of a single data market will allow data to circulate freely within the EU and across all sectors, benefiting businesses, researchers, and public administrations. Individuals, companies, and organizations should be empowered to make better decisions based on insights derived from non-personal data.

La normativa italiana

Italian legislation transposed the first European directive in 2006, while in 2012, by amending the Digital Administration Code, it introduced the so-called principle of open by default. With the Anti-Corruption Law (2012), it recognized Open Data as a necessary tool for accountability, and with the Transparency Decree (2013), it introduced the concept of civic access.

  • Legislative Decree 24 January 2006, no. 36
    Implementation of Directive 2003/98/EC on the re-use of public sector documents.
  • Decree-Law 18 October 2012, no. 179
    Further urgent measures for the growth of the country (art. 9).
  • Law 6 November 2012, no. 190
    Provisions for the prevention and repression of corruption and illegality in public administration.
  • Legislative Decree 14 March 2013, no. 33
    Reorganization of the rules regarding obligations of publicity, transparency, and dissemination of information by public administrations (art. 5).
  • Legislative Decree 25 May 2016, no. 97
    Revision and simplification of provisions on corruption prevention, publicity, and transparency in public administration, amending Legislative Decree 14 March 2013, no. 33 regarding public administration transparency. The decree introduces the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), a form of civic access that allows citizens to request data and documents that public administrations are not obliged to publish.

La normativa regionale

The Lazio Region promotes an Open Government model based on free access to public data and strong interaction with citizens and businesses, with the aim of creating an economic accelerator for the territory. With Regional Law no. 7 of 2012, the Region established timelines and obligations regarding open data. With Regional Law no. 12 of 2016, territorial data were made freely available.


Regional Law of Lazio 18 June 2012, no. 7

Provisions on open data and the re-use of public information and data, and related initiatives.


Regional Law of Lazio 10 August 2016, no. 12

Provisions for the simplification, competitiveness, and development of the Region.