Art. 14 Independent expert consultation | Data access for vetted researchers | DSA

This article grants Digital Services Coordinators the option to seek external expert input at two key stages of the data access process: before formulating a reasoned request (covered in Article 7) or before deciding on an amendment request (covered in Article 12).

The article sets clear standards for who qualifies as an expert and how their impartiality must be formally demonstrated, while also ensuring transparency by requiring that all consultations and expert opinions are recorded in the AGORA information sharing system.

Important points:

Digital Services Coordinators may consult experts before key decisions, but this is a discretionary power, not an obligation.
Experts must sign a declaration confirming independence from the data provider and applicant researchers, no interest in the outcome, and no conflicts of interest.
Digital Services Coordinators are required to log all consultations and the resulting expert opinions in AGORA without undue delay.

1. Before formulating a reasoned request, or taking a decision on an amendment request, the Digital Services Coordinator may decide to consult experts.
1. The experts shall be independent and impartial and possess relevant expertise and proven skills and have the capacity and resources to perform the identified task, without incurring undue delay.
1. To attest impartiality, the experts shall sign a declaration confirming that they:
  1. have no financial or personal ties to the data provider or the applicant researchers;
  2. have no interest in the outcome of the data access process;
  3. are free from any conflicts of interest.
1. The Digital Services Coordinator shall encode any consultation carried out pursuant to paragraph 1, along with the expert opinion received in response to the consultation, without undue delay in AGORA.