Dispatch from Brussels: Updates on EU tech policy

Potential Amendments to the EU AI Act: The EU Commission will likely be giving a preview of the targeted amendments it may make to the AI Act. According to one report, the areas under consideration include the interplay with other legislation the governance structure, innovation measures, and extending SME exemptions to small mid-caps. The Commission also signalled for the first time that it may align the application timeline of Annex III with Annex I. These announcements will be confirmed in the very near future.

Commission publishes Apply AI Strategy: Last week the EU Commission published its ‘Apply AI’ strategy which will channel €1 billion in public funds to accelerate AI adoption across European industry. SMEs and mid-caps gain access to revamped Digital Innovation Hubs, now rebranded as “Experience Centres for AI,” offering testing, advisory services, and sector-specific support. Near-term projects include AI-driven healthcare screening (Q2 2027), “agentic” AI for manufacturing (Q4 2026), and climate monitoring tools (from Q4 2025), alongside a new AI Act Service Desk to simplify compliance for the AI Act. The initiative aims to bolster Europe’s “technological sovereignty,” reducing dependencies through a “buy European” approach and open-source solutions. Governed by the Apply AI Alliance, progress will be tracked via a dedicated observatory, ensuring alignment with economic and workforce goals. You can read more about it and what it means for businesses on our website .

Commission publishes AI in Science Strategy: Jointly with the Apply AI Strategy, the EU Commission also published the AI in Science strategy which will aim to direct resources to the development and application of AI technologies in scientific research application. The Strategy made key funding announcements. You can read more about it on our website.

Digital Sovereignty

European Digital Sovereignty discussions continue: The European Parliament recently held a debate on the importance of building a secure and autonomous digital economy and implementing the EU’s digital rules in full (focusing on key pieces of legislation like the DSA, DMA, AI Act, Cyber resilience Act etc.). According to reported draft agenda leaks, it appears that EU Member States will be discussing Digital Sovereignty issues during the upcoming European Council Summit on October 23-24. As a reminder, a high-level European Digital Sovereignty Summit (co-hosted by France and Germany) will be held in Berlin on 18 November.

Online platforms

Consultation on interplay between Digital Markets Act and GDPR: On 9 October, the EU Commission and the European Data Protection Board, have opened a consultation to gather feedback on draft guidelines they published jointly. The guidelines and consultation seek to improve understanding of compliance challenges for those who have to abide by the two pieces of legislation. The consultation which is open to until 4 December, seeks contributions from business users (especially SMEs) and end users of the “gatekeepers’” digital services in scope of the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

Most EU Member States back Online Child Safeguarding Initiative : On 10 October, EU Member States (except Belgium and Estonia), backed the Danish led Jutland declaration calling for better safeguards to protect children online. The declaration calls for “clear European legal requirement” for age verification across social media platforms and for EU-wide regulation of “harmful practices” (such as addictive features and manipulative design). Denmark which has been vocal on the issue of child safety has recently announced that it would seek to introduce a bill to ban children under the age of 15 from social media platforms.

European Parliament Committee to vote on online age limit for social media platforms: Parliament's internal market committee will vote on whether under 16s should require parental consent for using social media applications on 16 October. The vote is part of an own initiative report by the European Parliament and therefore will not lead to the creation of rules, but it will provide a key insight into the parliament’s position should the EU Commission propose legislation covering the issue.

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