TEHDAS2 publishes technical blueprint for national metadata catalogues to power EHDS
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 deliverable, “Technical specification on the national metadata catalogue”, 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 (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;
- 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 (Swedish eHealth Agency), co-author of the deliverable.
The document complements the Guideline on data description (D5.1) 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.
The full specification is now available on the TEHDAS2 website.
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