EU Open Data Portal Scraper

EU Open Data Portal Scraper

Scrape EU Open Data Portal datasets by keyword, up to a million per run. Every dataset comes with its title, description, publisher, and metadata. No API key or registration. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The EU Open Data Portal publishes thousands of datasets from European institutions, but browsing and downloading them manually is slow. This Actor searches the portal by keyword and returns each matching dataset as a clean row, ready for analysis. It is the fastest way to build a catalog of EU open data for research, journalism, or product development.

Who uses it	What they scrape EU Open Data Portal for
Data journalists	Find EU datasets on a specific topic for an investigation
Researchers	Build a list of datasets for a systematic review or meta-analysis
Policy analysts	Monitor what data the EU publishes on a policy area
Developers	Populate an app or database with EU open data references

What it does

This Actor collects EU Open Data Portal datasets by search term and returns each one as a flat row with its title, description, and other metadata.

• 🔍 Keyword search: enter any term like energy, health, or transport to find matching datasets.
• 📊 Structured output: each dataset is returned as a flat row with title, description, and metadata.
• ⚙️ Flexible volume: set a maximum from 1 to 1,000,000 datasets per run.
• 📁 Multiple export formats: download results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with EU Open Data Portal data

📈 Track EU policy data.

A policy analyst runs the Actor with the keyword 'climate' to get a list of all related datasets, then monitors new additions over time.

🔎 Investigate public spending.

A journalist searches for 'budget' to find datasets on EU expenditure, then downloads the metadata for further analysis.

🧪 Build a research corpus.

A researcher collects all datasets matching 'health' to create a complete list for a systematic review.

📊 Populate a data catalog.

A developer uses the Actor to fetch dataset metadata and store it in a custom database for a data discovery tool.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key needed	The Actor reads the public portal directly, so you can start scraping immediately.
Clean, flat schema	Every dataset is returned as a single row with consistent fields, ready for spreadsheets or databases.
Scalable	Collect up to a million datasets in one run, enough for large-scale analysis.
Fast setup	type a keyword and a limit, and the Actor does the rest.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets EU Open Data Portal the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	EU Open Data Portal Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When EU Open Data Portal changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a search term and a maximum number of datasets. The search matches titles and descriptions, and the limit controls how many rows you get. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
 "searchQuery": "energy",
 "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
 "searchQuery": "energy",
 "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.005 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.50
1,000 results	$5.00
10,000 results	$50.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the EU Open Data Portal Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to EU Open Data Portal through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/euopendata-datasets-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your search term. It may be too specific or misspelled. Try a broader keyword or check the portal directly to see if datasets exist for that term.

Why is the run taking so long?

If you set a high maximum number of datasets, the Actor may take longer to scrape. Reduce the maxItems value or use a more specific search term.

Why are some fields empty in the output?

Not all datasets on the portal have every metadata field filled. Empty fields are normal and reflect missing information on the source page.

Can I scrape datasets from a specific publisher?

Currently, the Actor only supports keyword search. To filter by publisher, you would need to post-process the results or use a different tool.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is the EU Open Data Portal?	It is the official portal of the European Union that provides access to open data published by EU institutions and bodies.
Do I need an API key to use this Actor?	No, the Actor scrapes the public portal directly, so no registration or API key is required.
What data does the Actor return?	It returns a flat row for each dataset, including the title, description, publisher, and other metadata available on the portal.
Can I search for datasets in any language?	The search works with the portal's default language, which is typically English. You can enter keywords in other languages, but results may vary.
How many datasets can I scrape in one run?	You can set the maximum from 1 to 1,000,000 datasets per run.
What formats can I export the results to?	You can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
Is this Actor legal to use?	Yes, the EU Open Data Portal provides open data that is free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes, subject to the specific license of each dataset.
Can I schedule this Actor to run regularly?	Yes, you can set up a schedule on the Apify platform to run the Actor at intervals you choose.
What if I get no results for my search term?	Try a broader or different keyword. The search matches titles and descriptions, so a more general term may yield more results.
Does the Actor download the actual dataset files?	No, it only collects the metadata (title, description, etc.). To download the dataset files, you would need to follow the links provided in the metadata.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by European Union. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.