TEHDAS2 publishes a technical blueprint for national metadata catalogues to support EHDS implementation
A new TEHDAS2 technical specification offers health data access bodies (HDABs) and national implementers a clear roadmap for setting up national metadata catalogues under the European Health Data Space (EHDS).
The document defines the core requirements for building searchable, interoperable catalogues of dataset descriptions that will feed into the EU-level HealthData@EU infrastructure.
Under the EHDS Regulation, every Member State is required to establish a national dataset catalogue that allows researchers, policymakers and innovators to discover which health datasets exist – and under what conditions they can be accessed. This technical specification on the national metadata catalogue translates this legal obligation into actionable functional and technical requirements.
“Our goal was to help Member States turn legal text into real, working catalogues that support data discoverability and trust. This is not just about technology – it’s about enabling meaningful secondary use of health data across Europe,” said Ann Gustafsson of the Swedish eHealth Agency, who led the task that produced the technical specification.
The specification outlines:
- mandatory features such as metadata ingestion, validation, versioning and publication;
- how to align with the HealthDCAT-AP metadata standard and ensure FAIR principles are met;
- roles and responsibilities of HDABs, health data holders and National Contact Points (NCPs);
- guidance on synchronising national catalogues with the EU central catalogue; and
- real-world examples and reusable solutions from countries such as Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands.
“To build a truly European infrastructure, we need harmonised national building blocks. This specification ensures that catalogues across Member States can ‘speak the same language’ – technically and semantically,” added Michael Peolsson of the Swedish eHealth Agency, co-author of the deliverable.
The document complements the guideline on data description and lays the groundwork for upcoming implementing acts under Article 77 of the EHDS regulation. It is a critical step in making health datasets across Europe easier to find, understand and access for secondary use.
Download document: Technical specification for health data access bodies on the national metadata catalogue
A summary of the comments received during the public consultation and how they were addressed is available in the annex.
View published TEHDAS2 results
Key recommendations stemming from the work
For Member States
- Establish national metadata catalogues as core infrastructure for dataset descriptions on the secondary use of health data.
- Ensure standardisation and interoperability through common standards and synchronisation with EU-level systems.
- Guarantee high metadata quality and validation through strong processes, quality controls and consistent structures.
- Prioritise accessibility and usability through publicly searchable, user-friendly catalogues and dataset descriptions available in at least one official language of the Union.
- Ensure sufficient technical capacity and resources to avoid fragmentation and delays.
For the European Commission
- Provide further implementation guidance on metadata standards, catalogue functionality and HDAB responsibilities.
- Promote interoperability through HealthData@EU and the use of common standards.
- Reduce fragmentation across Member States by addressing differences in national implementation and digital maturity.
- Support capacity building and best practice sharing through knowledge exchange, reuse of existing solutions and dissemination of successful national approaches.
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