In Focus: UNE 0087, the Standard Paving the Way for Data Spaces in Spain
Imagine you want to share your company’s data with other organizations to create innovative solutions, but a thousand questions arise: how can I ensure my data is safe? What technology should I use? How can I make sure it’s legal? Will other companies be able to understand my data? Until now, each organization improvised its own answers. Since July 2025, Spain has had a clear roadmap: the UNE 0087 specification.
UNE 0087 is the first Spanish standard that defines what a Data Space is and how it should operate. Published on July 17, 2025, by the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE) with the support of the Reference Center for Data Spaces (CRED), this specification sets the rules of the game so that companies, public administrations, and organizations can share information safely, legally, and efficiently.
Think of it as the traffic code for data: before, we had roads—technology—but everyone drove as they pleased. Now, we have signs, rules, and a common language that allows everyone to move safely and orderly. Without this roadmap, each region, sector, or company could develop its own way of sharing data, creating incompatible islands.
Three pillars for a functional ecosystem
The standard is built on three fundamental pillars that ensure Data Spaces work effectively. The first is interoperability, which ensures that everyone can understand each other. It’s not enough to share data; it is essential that those who receive it can understand and use it. This includes both the technical dimension—what technologies and protocols to use to connect systems—and the semantic dimension, ensuring that a "customer" means the same for an energy company as it does for a telecom provider. It’s like making sure everyone speaks the same language and uses the same plugs.
The second pillar is governance, which establishes clear rules for everyone. Who decides what data is shared? How are conflicts resolved? What happens if someone doesn’t follow the rules? The specification defines how Data Spaces should be organized, the roles and responsibilities of each participant, control and supervision mechanisms, and the legal and regulatory aspects. This provides legal certainty: you know what to expect and what to rely on from others.
The third pillar is value creation, because the ultimate goal isn’t sharing for the sake of sharing, but generating real benefits. This includes new business opportunities, innovative services that would be impossible with isolated data, operational efficiency by avoiding duplication, and decision-making based on more complete information.
A truly collaborative effort
This specification is the result of collaborative work by over 50 professionals from public and private organizations, organized into three working groups that debated, reached consensus, and refined every aspect of the standard over several months.
The first group defined exactly what a Data Space is and created a maturity model for organizations to assess their current stage. The second established technical and semantic interoperability requirements, answering the question of how to connect in practice. The third worked on legal, organizational, and governance aspects, perhaps the most complex because they touch on sovereignty, privacy, and accountability.
This collaborative approach ensures the standard is not a theoretical exercise, but reflects the real needs of the market and public sector, with all their complexities and nuances.
Why should you care?
For companies, adopting UNE 0087 means accessing data ecosystems that were previously out of reach. Participating in certified Data Spaces opens doors to collaborations that were impossible when each organization worked in isolation. Complying with this specification can also become a competitive advantage, especially in public tenders where adherence to recognized standards is valued. It reduces risks too: following a standard endorsed by dozens of experts and aligned with Europe protects you legally and technically. Perhaps most importantly, it brings clarity to investments: you know exactly what technology and processes you need without guessing.
For public administrations, the standard provides a common framework that facilitates collaboration across different levels of government. It supports regulatory compliance, aligning with European regulations such as the Data Act and the Data Governance Act. It increases efficiency by preventing each administration from duplicating efforts with incompatible infrastructures. Ultimately, shared data allows for better public services for citizens.
For citizens, even if they don’t see this standard in action directly, the impact is felt in daily life: better digital services, from public transport to healthcare, greater control over personal data thanks to clear governance, and innovation that benefits everyone through new applications, services, and solutions that emerge when data flows safely.
The UNE 0087:2025 standard can be consulted online for free thanks to the sponsorship of the Directorate-General for Data. This allows any organization, from startups to multinationals, to access it without economic barriers, helping the entire business ecosystem integrate into Data Spaces on an equal footing. In addition, the Conformity Verification Guide, developed by CRED, enables any organization, from startups to multinationals, to understand and apply the criteria of interoperability, governance, and value creation.
The standard is not an isolated initiative. Spain is closely coordinated with European initiatives such as IDSA (International Data Spaces Association) and Gaia-X, making it easier for Spanish projects to participate in cross-border initiatives without reinventing the wheel.
It is also not exclusive to large tech companies or specific sectors. It applies across all economic areas: healthcare, energy, mobility and transport, agriculture and agri-food, tourism, manufacturing, and the public sector. Each sector can adapt it to its specific needs while maintaining the common core that ensures interoperability.
A roadmap for growth and greater benefit
One of the most valuable contributions of UNE 0087 is the maturity model it includes. This model allows organizations to self-assess and understand their stage, from initial—barely exploring the concept—to optimized, where the organization leads with constant innovation. Between these stages are development phases with pilot projects; defined, with established processes and technologies; and managed, with continuous operation and improvement metrics.
This model is especially useful because it allows organizations to map a clear path from where they are to where they want to go, advancing step by step without feeling they must take an impossible leap. Each level is consolidated before moving to the next.
With a common framework, projects advance faster because there is consensus on how to proceed. There’s no need to spend months designing architecture, governance protocols, or interoperability mechanisms from scratch. The standard accelerates deployment by providing these answers.
Data Spaces require critical mass to function: the more participants, the greater the network value. A recognized standard makes it easier for more organizations to join, creating a positive network effect that ensures the ecosystem’s long-term sustainability.
Convergence with Europe is another key benefit. It facilitates participation in European projects and access to community funding, demonstrating that your project aligns with the European framework. It also promotes technological autonomy and data sovereignty, reducing dependence on large foreign platforms that operate under their own rules.
Perhaps the most significant business and social benefit is that by enabling collaboration, innovative business models based on shared data emerge—models that simply didn’t exist before because collaboration friction was too high.
The publication of UNE 0087 marks a turning point in how Spain approaches data sharing. For the first time, organizations of all sizes and sectors have a clear roadmap, backed by technical consensus and aligned with Europe. It is not just about technology or regulations: it is about creating an ecosystem where sharing data is safe, reliable, and beneficial for all.
From a small agri-food company in Zamora to a large hospital in Barcelona, everyone can now participate on equal terms. Shared data is the oil of the 21st century—but only if we know how to extract, refine, and distribute it fairly and efficiently. UNE 0087 gives us the tools to do so.