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ADR-013-simpl-open-alignment.md

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ADR-013: SIMPL-Open EU Programme Alignment

Status: Accepted Date: 2026-04-05

Context

The SIMPL-Open programme is the EU's open-source middleware for common European data spaces. It provides reference implementations for data space operations (catalog federation, contract management, trust anchoring) that EU-funded data spaces are expected to adopt. The EHDS is one of the priority data spaces under the European Data Strategy.

Decision

Align the Health Dataspace reference implementation with SIMPL-Open architecture where applicable:

  1. DSP 2025-1 protocol — Already implemented; SIMPL mandates DSP as the data exchange protocol
  2. DCP v1.0 credentials — Already implemented; SIMPL uses DCP for trust establishment
  3. DID:web identifiers — Already implemented; SIMPL recommends DID:web for participant identity
  4. DCAT-AP catalog federation — Already implemented via HealthDCAT-AP (health-specific extension)
  5. ODRL policy enforcement — Already implemented for EHDS Article 53 access control
  6. Gap: Gaia-X Trust Framework — Not yet implemented; SIMPL may require Gaia-X compliance labels
  7. Gap: Data Space Connector certification — SIMPL certification process not yet defined

Alignment Assessment

SIMPL Requirement Status Implementation
DSP 2025-1 ✅ Compliant EDC-V control plane + TCK validation
DCP v1.0 ✅ Compliant IdentityHub + IssuerService
DID:web ✅ Compliant 5 participants with DID documents
DCAT-AP federation ✅ Compliant HealthDCAT-AP JSON-LD serialization
ODRL policies ✅ Compliant 14 EHDS policies across 5 participants
Gaia-X labels ⚠️ Gap Not yet required for EHDS pilot phase
Connector certification ⚠️ Gap SIMPL certification process TBD

Consequences

Positive

  • Architecture already aligns with 5 of 7 SIMPL requirements
  • Early adoption positions this implementation for SIMPL certification when available
  • Demonstrates EHDS-specific extensions on top of generic SIMPL middleware

Trade-offs

  • SIMPL specifications are still evolving — some alignment may need revision
  • Gaia-X integration adds complexity without immediate EHDS value
  • Certification process undefined — cannot fully validate compliance yet

References