Purpose
The skill reviews contracts for data processing services against the mandatory switching requirements of Chapter VI of the Data Act, drafts the exit plan with the three relevant deadlines and identifies the levers against de facto lock-in practices. In doing so, it cleanly distinguishes what the provider contractually owes (Art. 25), what it technically owes (Art. 24, 30) and what it may no longer charge (Art. 29).
Inputs
- Contract type: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS; type of service and whether a functionally equivalent service exists on the market
- Contract date, term, termination provisions, agreed exit clauses
- Current fee structure: standard service fees, egress fees, switching and termination fees
- Data stock: exportable data, digital assets, provider-specific data categories
- Target environment: another provider, own ICT infrastructure, parallel operation
- Whether the service is provided customised or as a test/evaluation version (Art. 31)
- Additional regulatory requirements, in particular DORA for financial entities
Sub-agent architecture
The Researcher obtains the statutory text, recitals and announcements of the Bundesnetzagentur as well as – for financial entities – the relevant DORA requirements. The Drafter compares the contract clause by clause against the catalogue in Art. 25(2) and drafts the missing clauses. The Reviewer checks the deadline chain, the fee situation under Art. 29 and whether an exception under Art. 31 actually exists or is merely asserted.
Process
1. Clarify applicability
Chapter VI applies to data processing services — digital services that enable on-demand administration and broad remote access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable computing resources. IaaS, PaaS and SaaS are covered.
Exceptions under Art. 31:
- (1) — for services whose core functions are predominantly tailored to the specific needs of a single customer or whose components were all developed for that customer and that are not offered on a larger commercial scale via the service catalogue, Art. 23(d), Art. 29 and Art. 30(1), (3) do not apply.
- (2) — for services provided not as a full version but for testing and evaluation purposes and for a limited period, the obligations of the Chapter do not apply.
- (3) — the provider must inform the potential customer before conclusion of the contract about the obligations that do not apply. If this information is not provided, reliance on the exception is contestable.
Under Art. 24 the obligations apply only to services, contracts and business practices that the original provider offered — not to third-party services in the ecosystem.
2. Identify switching obstacles (Art. 23)
Providers may not impose any pre-commercial, commercial, technical, contractual or organizational obstacles and must remove existing ones if they prevent customers from
- a) terminating the contract after expiry of the maximum notice period and after a successful switch to terminating;
- b) new contracts with another provider of the same type of service;
- c) transferring exportable data and digital assets to another provider or to their own ICT infrastructure — including after using a free offer;
- d) achieving, under Art. 24, the functional equivalence in the environment of another provider of the same type of service;
- e) separating the services, under Art. 30(1), from other services of the same provider separating, insofar as technically feasible.
Typical obstacles in practice: prohibitive egress fees, proprietary export formats without documentation, tying discounts to minimum purchase volumes beyond the switching date, refusal to hand over configuration and metadata, refusal of support during the switch.
3. Compare contract clauses against Art. 25(2)
The switching contract is to be concluded in writing and made available to the customer before signing in such a way that they can store and reproduce it (Art. 25(1)). It must contain at least:
| Letter | Mandatory content |
|---|---|
| a | Customer's right to switch; transfer of all exportable data and digital assets without undue delay, at the latest after expiry of a binding transition period of no more than 30 calendar days from expiry of the maximum notice period; with appropriate support, diligence to maintain business operations, risk disclosure and a high level of security |
| b | Obligation to support the customer's exit strategy including provision of all relevant information |
| c | Clause on contract termination and notification of the customer — after a successful switch or after expiry of the maximum notice period in the event of a request for deletion |
| d | Maximum notice period for initiating the switch: no more than two months |
| e | Exhaustive list of all transferable data and asset categories, at least all exportable data |
| f | Exhaustive list of provider-specific data categories exempted from transfer — only where there is a risk of infringement of the provider's trade secrets and only to the extent that the switch is not thereby impeded or delayed |
| g | Minimum period for data retrieval of at least 30 calendar days from the end of the transition period |
| h | Guarantee of complete deletion of all exportable data and digital assets after expiry of the retrieval period |
The chain of periods is therefore: Switching request → maximum 2 months' notice period → maximum 30 calendar days transition period → at least 30 calendar days retrieval period → deletion.
4. Review charges (Art. 29)
| Period | Permissible |
|---|---|
| 11.01.2024 to 11.01.2027 | reduced switching charges, which must not exceed the costs incurred directly by the provider as a result of the switch (paras. 2, 3) |
| from 12.01.2027 | no switching charges any more (para. 1) |
In addition: before concluding a contract, clear information must be provided about standard service charges, sanctions for early termination and the reduced switching charges possible during the transition period (para. 4). Services for which switching is particularly complicated, costly or impossible without significant intervention must be identified (para. 5); the information must be published on the website or otherwise easily accessible (para. 6).
A distinction must be made between switching charges (cease to apply) and standard service charges for ongoing use (remain permissible). Egress fees disguised as switching charges are the core of the dispute.
5. Technical level (Art. 30, Art. 34, Art. 35)
For services concerning scalable and elastic computing resources that provide only infrastructure elements, the provider owes, under Art. 30(1), functional equivalence in the target environment. For other types of service, open interfaces and — where relevant — compatibility with open interoperability specifications or harmonised standards must be provided. Art. 34 and Art. 35 flank interoperability in the case of parallel use.
6. State access in the international environment (Art. 32)
Providers must take all reasonable technical, organisational and legal measures to prevent state access to and transfer of non-personal data stored in the Union by third countries, insofar as this contradicts Union law or national law. For personal data, Chapter V GDPR remains decisive (/datenschutzrecht:avv-pruefung).
7. Enforcement
The competent authority is the Bundesnetzagentur (§ 2(1) DADG); complaint under Art. 38, enforcement under §§ 6 to 14 DADG, fine under § 15 DADG — among other things for the failure to provide notification under Art. 25(4). For financial undertakings , the DORA exit strategy and termination requirements are added (/dora:ikt-drittparteienrisiko); the stricter requirement prevails.
Deterministic calculation
The chain of deadlines in Art. 25 is calendar-based and therefore computable. The calculator in ../../../scripts/legal_calc/ performs only the arithmetic — the determination of the switching request and the question of when the switch has been "successfully completed" remain legal inputs:
# 1) Maximale Kündigungsfrist Art. 25 Abs. 2 Buchst. d: 2 Monate ab Wechselverlangen 01.03.2026
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 01.03.2026 --menge 2 --einheit monate --land BY
# 2) Übergangsfrist Art. 25 Abs. 2 Buchst. a: höchstens 30 Kalendertage ab Ablauf der Kündigungsfrist
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 01.05.2026 --menge 30 --einheit tage --land BY
# 3) Mindestabrufzeitraum Art. 25 Abs. 2 Buchst. g: mindestens 30 Kalendertage ab Ende des Übergangs
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 31.05.2026 --menge 30 --einheit tage --land BY
--json provides the calculation steps. The 30-day periods are calendar days, not working days.
Sources
Legal acts
- Regulation (EU) 2023/2854, Art. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 50 — EUR-Lex
- § 2 DADG, § 6 DADG, § 15 DADG
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 (DORA), Art. 28, 30 — EUR-Lex
- Directive (EU) 2019/770 (digital content and services) — EUR-Lex
Commentaries and literature
- Hennemann/Steinrötter, Data Act – Handkommentar, Art. 23 ff.
- Specht-Riemenschneider/Hennemann, Data Act, Kommentar, Art. 25, Art. 29.
- Schuster/Grützmacher, IT-Recht, Chap. Cloud contracts and exit management.
- Articles on egress fees and lock-in in CR and MMR 2024/2025 (verify the reference before use)
[unverifiziert – prüfen]
Case law
There is no case law on Chapter VI of the Data Regulation. For the flanking of cloud contracts under general terms and conditions law, the case law on §§ 307 ff. BGB is to be consulted; every decision must be verified before use [unverifiziert – prüfen].
Output format
CLOUD-EXIT-PRÜFUNG — <Vertrag / Anbieter> — <Datum>
I. Anwendbarkeit
Dienstart: <IaaS / PaaS / SaaS>
Ausnahme Art. 31: [Abs. 1 maßgeschneidert / Abs. 2 Testdienst / keine]
Unterrichtung Abs. 3: [erfolgt / fehlt — Ausnahme angreifbar]
Zusatzregime: [DORA / keines]
II. Wechselhindernisse Art. 23
Buchst. a–e: <Feststellungen je Buchstabe>
Faktische Hindernisse: <Egress-Entgelte / Formate / Support / Rabattbindung>
III. Klauselabgleich Art. 25 Abs. 2
Buchst. | gefordert | im Vertrag | Ergebnis
a Übergangsfrist ≤ 30 Kalendertage | <…> | <konform / fehlt>
b Unterstützung der Ausstiegsstrategie | <…> | <…>
c Beendigungs- und Unterrichtungsklausel| <…> | <…>
d Kündigungsfrist ≤ 2 Monate | <…> | <…>
e Katalog exportierbarer Daten | <…> | <…>
f Ausnahmeliste anbieterspezifischer Daten | <…> | <…>
g Abrufzeitraum ≥ 30 Kalendertage | <…> | <…>
h Löschgarantie | <…> | <…>
IV. Entgelte Art. 29
Wechselentgelte: <Betrag / Struktur>
Zeitliche Einordnung: [ermäßigt zulässig bis 11.01.2027 / unzulässig ab 12.01.2027]
Als Wechselentgelt getarnte Egress-Kosten: [ja / nein]
Vorvertragliche Information Abs. 4–6: [vollständig / lückenhaft]
V. Exit-Fahrplan
Wechselverlangen: <Datum>
Kündigungsfrist endet: <Datum>
Übergangsfrist endet: <Datum>
Abrufzeitraum endet: <Datum>
Löschung geschuldet ab: <Datum>
VI. Durchsetzung
Beschwerde Art. 38 iVm § 6 DADG | Bußgeldrisiko § 15 DADG | Zivilrechtliche Ansprüche
VII. Risiko: 🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 <Begründung>
VIII.Quellenverzeichnis
Risks / typical errors
- Egress fees waved through as standard service remuneration. Charges that economically make switching more expensive are to be measured against Art. 29; from 12.01.2027, switching charges are inadmissible.
- Notice period of more than two months accepted. Art. 25(2)(d) sets an upper limit, not a standard period.
- Transition period and retrieval period confused. The transition period is at most 30 calendar days, the retrieval period at least 30 calendar days — and it begins only afterwards.
- Calculated in working days instead of calendar days. Art. 25 consistently refers to calendar days.
- Exception under Art. 31 asserted without substantiating the notification under paragraph 3.
- Exception list under letter f overstretched. It justifies only the exclusion of provider-specific data categories and must neither hinder nor delay the switch.
- Deletion guarantee under letter h overlooked. It is a mandatory contractual element, not a courtesy.
- DORA requirements ignored. Additional exit and termination requirements apply to financial undertakings; the stricter requirement prevails.
- Case law invented. There is none for Chapter VI; every decision must be substantiated or marked as
[unverifiziert – prüfen].