[co-author: Isabel Iglesias]*
On September 16 2025, the Commission opened a public consultation on the digital simplification agenda (the Digital Omnibus). This initiative aims to streamline and clarify the EU’s digital regulations by:
- reducing administrative and compliance burdens, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises;
- improving legal regulatory clarity to support competitiveness and innovation; and
- enhancing the consistency and alignment of digital rules across Member States.
The Digital Omnibus will include measures to target common problems and seeks to:
- reduce fragmentation of the ‘data acquis’ (including the Data Governance Act, Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation and Open Data Directive) and making data sharing mechanisms more accessible to businesses;
- update rules on cookies and other tracking technologies under the ePrivacy Directive, to reduce consent fatigue, strengthen user control, and increase data availability for businesses;
- streamline cybersecurity and data breach reporting obligations to minimise compliance burdens while maintaining high standards of protection;
- support a more effective application of the Artificial Intelligence Act by addressing implementation challenges and ensuring alignment with other digital regulation; and
- clarify requirements for electronic identification and trust service providers under the European Digital Identity Framework, including preparation for the EU business wallet.
This consultation forms part of a broader strategy, which will also include a Digital Fitness Check to assess the cumulative impact and coherence of the EU’s digital rules. The broader initiative is designed to reduce costs and complexities of digital regulation, without compromising the underlying objectives of the existing regulations, including the protection of citizens fundamental rights.
The consultation follows the EU’s 2024-2029 strategy on A Simpler and Faster Europe. Public comments can be submitted until 14 October 2025.
The press release is available here.
*Manager Knowledge and Innovation, Madrid
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