Data Act, eFTI or both: what affects my data flows?
Adopted 2026-06-14 · ≈ 2 min read · 
edited by Dirk Baaijen
Short: these are two different data flows. The Data Act covers data from connected products (vehicle, sensor, machine data); eFTI covers submitting statutory freight documents to authorities electronically. Both can apply to you at once.
Short answer: These are two different data flows. The Data Act governs who may access your product data; eFTI governs submitting freight documents to authorities electronically. In transport and logistics, both can apply at the same time.
Two regimes, two kinds of data
The Data Act (Regulation (EU) 2023/2854, applicable since 12 September 2025) is about data from connected products: vehicle data, sensor data, machine data. The core question is who may access that data — the user, the data holder, or a third party. The framework sets out the conditions under which such product data may be shared and used.
eFTI (Regulation (EU) 2020/1056) is about something quite different: statutory freight information. Think of the consignment note, dangerous goods data and permits. From 9 July 2027, authorities must accept these documents electronically when submitted via a certified platform. So eFTI is not about who may access your data, but about submitting freight documents to authorities electronically.
Which one affects you, and when?
The Data Act affects you as soon as you work with connected products that generate data — a telematics system in your fleet, sensors on a trailer, machines in your warehouse. The question then is who has access to that data and under what conditions.
eFTI affects you as soon as you provide statutory freight information to authorities and want, or are required, to digitise that flow. The question then is whether you submit those documents electronically via a certified platform.
Both at once
In practice both regimes can apply side by side. A carrier with telematics in its fleet falls under the Data Act for its vehicle data, and is at the same time touched by eFTI for the freight documents it submits to authorities. These are separate questions with separate answers: treat them apart, and first map out which data flows you actually have.
Read the main file: Data Act in transport and logistics. Or take the Transport & Logistics scan.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2854/oj
Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 (Data Act) and Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI).
Read next
The Data Act and trade secrets: must I share data that is my trade secret?
Not a free pass to refuse. The Data Act gives users a right to data from connected products, but protects trade secrets: you may take safeguards and, in exceptional cases, refuse where serious harm is shown.
Is eFTI mandatory for me as a carrier?
eFTI does not force you to go digital, but it requires authorities to accept electronic freight information from 9 July 2027. Paper is still allowed, but digital-first becomes the norm. What that means in practice for carriers, forwarders and shippers.
What is the common eFTI data set?
The common eFTI data set is the EU-standardised collection of data fields for statutory freight information, detailed through implementing acts. It lets authorities accept electronic freight data uniformly from 9 July 2027.