Digital Europe is trying to bring order to its regulatory maze. With the new one Digital Package on Simplification (whose presentation is scheduled for November 19, but several drafts are circulating with possible changes to the final version), the European Commission proposes to simplify and consolidate most of the rules that make up today’s so-called digital acquisitions: from Data Law al GDPRfromePrivacy Instructions to directions NIS2. Furthermore, the text states that this proposed Regulation will be accompanied by a second regulation dedicated to the revision of the EU Regulation on artificial intelligence (2024/1689), which is not included in the circulated draft. The set of these two documents will form Digital Omnibus. On the same day, November 19, Data Unity Strategy and the presentation of the revision is uncertain Cybersecurity Act (which can happen between December and January). A “legislative cleanup” operation aimed at reducing burdens and overlaps, but at the same time moving along a complicated path – namely simplifying without affecting the level of protection.
Project from Digital package on simplificationwhich is considered in Brussels as the first step towards a “single European digital code”, born of the need to bring order to a regulatory framework that in recent years has been stratified through a variety of regulatory interventions. According to the Commission itself, the large number of regulations and obligations ultimately leads to confusion, duplication and disproportionate costs, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Hence the decision to target him Simpler and faster Europefocuses intervention on three main areas: data discipline, rationalization of IT incident reporting, and greater clarity in the application of rules on artificial intelligence. The proposals include a series of technical interventions that, cumulatively, will have a strong direct impact on business, society and public administration. The Commission estimates savings for the EU of at least 1 billion euros per year from the entry into force of this policy, to which will then be added one-off savings of another billion euros, for a total of at least 4 billion euros over three years, by 2029. These economic estimates do not include, as reported in the proposal, the business opportunities that might be generated by the proposed new regulatory approach.
The essence of the reform is represented by the so-called acquisition date. That Data Lawwhich is already in effect, so that it becomes a forum for a unified set of laws and regulations intended to combine these laws Data Governance ActThat Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation and it Open Data Directive. The result is a harmonized framework for sharing and reusing public and private data, with the aim of simplifying procedures and terminology and offering greater coherence to economic actors. Public administrations will also be able to apply different conditions and rates for large digital platforms, so-called gatekeeperwhen they reuse public data. The goal is to prevent the economic power of large operators from turning into unjustified competitive advantages to the detriment of small, innovative companies.
Another important innovation relates to small middle hatMedium-sized companies were until recently excluded from the subsidy regime provided for SMEs. That Digital Omnibus providing them with the same benefits in terms of documentary obligations and compliance, in an effort to ease regulatory pressure on a business segment that represents an important driver of European innovation.
The proposal also intervenes GDPRGeneral Data Protection Regulation, to introduce targeted and technical changes. For example, the definitions of “personal data” and “sensitive data” were clarified, data breach notifications were simplified – with deadlines extended to 96 hours and the possibility of using a single European portal – and information obligations were reduced in the case of low-risk processing. There will also be the possibility of the introduction of a regime sandbox to strengthen the dialogue between innovation and regulation.
