Simplify EU digital rules to boost innovation

The EPP Group welcomes the Commission’s new digital package as a critical boost for Europe’s industrial competitiveness. By streamlining digital rules through the Digital Omnibus, introducing a secure European Business Wallet, and laying the foundations of a European Data Union, the package strengthens Europe’s capacity to innovate and produce in a global market under pressure, while continuing to protect citizens’ data. 

“Europe cannot afford a digital rulebook that drains time, talent, and opportunity. The Digital Omnibus is our chance to make laws work like a jigsaw: efficient, consistent, and agile. We need to ensure coherence and eliminate legal overlap. Every euro spent ticking a box is a euro not spent on innovation”, said Eva Maydell MEP, the EPP Group’s vice spokeswoman in Parliament’s Industry Committee. 

The EPP Group is ready to update important rules like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the ePrivacy Directive, and the Artificial Intelligence Act so that they work better in today’s digital world. This includes reducing the burden on users by addressing cookie fatigue and making online navigation less cumbersome, so that transparency comes with a more pleasant experience. 

“We believe that making targeted improvements to the key rules will give everyone more clarity - for example, by better explaining what counts as personal data. Updated rules should also make it easier to understand how data can be used responsibly to train AI systems. Crucially, the Digital Omnibus will also bring much-needed order to Europe’s maze of data rules, making the framework more coherent, easier to understand, and far more workable for both people and businesses“, said Lena Düpont MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokeswoman on Home Affairs.

The EPP Group urges swift adoption by Parliament and Council to give European industry the clarity, scale, and digital tools needed to remain a global leader.