Dispatch from Brussels: Updates on EU tech policy

The EU officially proposes its Digital Omnibus: On 19 November the EU Commission proposed its “Digital Omnibus”. This proposal seeks to continue the EU Commission’s goals of simplifying administrative burdens across the EU. The proposal will aim to amend the GDPR, AI Act, Data Act, NIS2 Directive, ePrivacy Directive and will repreal the Platform-to-Business (P2B) Regulation, Data Governance Act (DGA), Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation, and Open Data Directive. Some of the most noteworthy things the Ombnibus proposes include:

EU proposes EU Business Wallet legislation: As part of the 19 November Digital Simplification Package, the EU Commission released its EU business Wallet proposal which would seek to build and extend current European Digital Identity (EUDI) Framework. The European Business Wallets proposal aims to provide a digital infrastructure streamlining cross-border interactions and reducing administrative burden, such as facilitating the secure storing and signature of contracts and certificates or submitting, receiving and sharing electronic applications and documents. Keep an eye on our website for a soon to be published more detailed overview of the EU Business Wallet.

EU publishes Data Union Strategy: The strategy, which is the final part of the EU’s Digital Simplification Package published on 19 November, highlights three priority areas:

More importantly, the strategy highlights the wish by the EU Commission to foster secure, convergent and interoperable links between EU data ecosystems and those of “like-minded partners”. We will also be taking a closer look at this and publishing an article on the website.

European Parliament vote on AI liability: Next week the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee will vote on whether the Parliament should challenge the EU Commission for having withdrawn the AI liability legislative proposal from its work programme. Whether the JURI committee will vote in favour of this remains uncertain as support for putting the EU’s AI liability legislative proposal does not seem to have strong support (especially from the center-right), however, should it manage to pass, it could pave the way for an official legal challenge to be lodged at the EU Court of Justice.

EU Commission launches AI whistleblower platform: On 25 November, the Commission launched this platform to enable whistle-blowers to indicate any infringement upon the EU’s AI Act requirements (in particular, those that would touch upon fundamental rights, health, and public trust). The platform allows whistleblowers to anonymously contact the EU’s AI Office which has indicated its commitment to respond to requests under 14 days business days.

Digital Sovereignty

Digital Sovereignty Summit conclusions: On 18 November, France and Germany co-hosted a Digital Sovereignty Summit in Berlin. The two countries called for regulatory simplification which enables competitiveness, the delay of the EU’s AI Act High Risk requirements to be delayed by 12 months, and the inclusion of GDPR in the simplification agenda. Both countries also highlighted the need for sovereignty when it comes to sensitive data protection and the ability to control key digital technologies. More importantly, Germany and France agreed to set up a joint working group dedicated to defining sovereignty indicators when it comes to key technologies in the fields such as cloud, AI, and cybersecurity. The findings of this working group will be presented at the next German-French Ministerial Council in 2026.

techUK International Policy and Trade Programme activities

techUK supports members with their international trade plans and aspirations. We help members to understand market opportunities, tackle market access barriers, and build partnerships in their target market. Visit the programme page here.