Policy & Law
27.01.2026

The View from Brussels #04-2026

News, Publications and Consultations from the Past Week

News CW 04 (19-25.01.2026)

High-performance computing: The EuroHPC Regulation has been amended to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy and global competitiveness in the fields of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.

Cybersecurity: The European Commission has proposed a new cybersecurity package. A revised Cybersecurity Act is intended to improve the security of supply chains in the field of information and communication technology. Politico and Euractiv report on criticism from China.

Digital connectivity: The European Commission has proposed a regulation on the Digital Networks Act (DNA). The aim is to create the conditions for the expansion of fibre optic and mobile networks to modernise, simplify and harmonise EU rules on connectivity networks.

Democracy Shield: The European Parliament does not appear to be convinced by the European Commission’s proposal (Euractiv reports).

Transatlantic relations: The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament has condemned the visa ban imposed on Thierry Breton.

Digital laws: Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, spoke out at the World Economic Forum in Davos in favour of replacing directives with regulations. As regulations have direct effect in Member States (unlike directives, which must first be transposed into national law), this would make the digital economy faster, simpler and less complicated.

Selected Publications from the EP Think Tanks

 

Ongoing Relevant European Commission Consultations

Selections of the Current Week, CW 05 (26.01-01.02.2026)

Council:

The current preview of the Council’s work for the upcoming days until 08.02.2026 can be found here.

Summit and Ministerial Meetings:

Preparatory Bodies:

 

An overview of the various Council dates can be found here.

Commission:

The agenda of the current Commission meeting was not available at our time of writing. You can potentially find it on the Commission’s website in the near future.

Parliament:

Plenary Sittings (BXL)

The agenda for the current plenary sittings week can be found here.

Here you can find a list of the upcoming dates of the European Parliament. The calendar of the plenary sittings for 2025 is available here (PDF).

Committees

LIBE Committee (Civil Liberties)

The agenda for the current meeting of the LIBE Committee taking place on 26-27.01.2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:

  • Digital Omnibus Simplification Package
  • Amending Regulations (EU) 2024/1689 and (EU) 2018/1139 as regards the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Digital Omnibus on AI)
  • Amending Regulations (EU) 2016/679, (EU) 2018/1724, (EU) 2018/1725, (EU) 2023/2854 and Directives 2002/58/EC, (EU) 2022/2555 and (EU) 2022/2557 as regards the simplification of the digital legislative framework, and repealing Regulations (EU) 2018/1807, (EU) 2019/1150, (EU) 2022/868, and Directive (EU) 2019/1024 (Digital Omnibus)
  • Laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse
  • Application for the electronic submission of travel data (“EU Digital Travel application”)

and amending Regulations (EU) 2016/399 and (EU) 2018/1726 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004, as regards the use of digital travel credentials

The agenda for the joint committee meeting of the LIBE Committee and the IMCO Committee taking place on 27.01.2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:

  • Conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe

Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy

and the Rule of Law

The current timetables of the LIBE Committee can be found here.

 

JURI Committee (Legal Affairs)

The agenda for the current meeting of the JURI Committee taking place on 28.01.2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:

  • Copyright and generative artificial intelligence – opportunities and challenges

The current timetables of the JURI Committee can be found here.

ITRE Committee (Industry)

The agenda for the current meeting of the ITRE Committee taking place on 28-29.01.2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:

  • Establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695
  • Establishing the Specific Programme implementing Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for the period 2028-2034, laying down the rules for participation and dissemination under that Programme
  • Presentation of the Annual Report on Interoperability by the European Commission (DG DIGIT)
  • Exchange of views with Vasilis Palmas, Minister of Defence (defence industry), Michael Damianos, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry (industry, SMEs, energy) and Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (research and innovation, ICT, digital, cybersecurity, space)
  • Structured dialogue with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
  • SEDE-ITRE Joint Public Hearing on Cyber-defence and Cybersecurity

The current timetables of the ITRE Committee (as of 20.01.2026) can be found here.

 

IMCO Committee (Internal Market)

The agenda for the current meeting of the IMCO Committee taking place on 26-27.01.2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:

  • Working group on the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA)
  • Working Group on the implementation and enforcement of the Artificial Intelligence Act
  • Working group on the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA)
  • Protecting minors from sexualised AI content on TikTok and X/Grok: Implications under the DSA
  • Digital Fairness Act: outcome of the public consultation
  • Safety, resilience and sustainability of space activities in the Union
  • Amending Directives 2000/14/EC, 2011/65/EU, 2013/53/EU, 2014/29/EU, 2014/30/EU, 2014/31/EU, 2014/32/EU, 2014/33/EU, 2014/34/EU, 2014/35/EU, 2014/53/EU, 2014/68/EU and 2014/90/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards digitalisation and common specifications
  • Amending Regulations (EU) No 765/2008, (EU) 2016/424, (EU) 2016/425, (EU) 2016/426, (EU) 2023/1230, (EU) 2023/1542 and (EU) 2024/1781 as regards digitalisation and common specifications
  • Amending Directives 2014/65/EU and (EU) 2022/2557 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplifying measures
  • Amending Regulations (EU) 2016/679, (EU) 2016/1036, (EU) 2016/1037, (EU) 2017/1129, (EU) 2023/1542 and (EU) 2024/573 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures
  • Exchange of views with Michael Damianos, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, and Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (Cypriot Presidency)
  • Structured dialogue with Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
  • Illegal and unsafe products online: SHEIN under the EU spotlight

The agenda for the extra meeting of the IMCO Committee taking place on 28.01.2026 can be found here.

The agenda for the joint committee meeting of the IMCO Committee and the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety taking place on 29.01.2026 can be found here.

The current timetables of the IMCO Committee (as of 03.12.2025) can be found here.

CULT Committee (Culture and Education)

The agenda for the current meeting of the CULT Committee taking place on 27.01.2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:

  • Financial literacy and the rise of finfluencers in the context of the savings and investments union
  • Enhancing connectivity, preserving cultural heritage and driving local excellence in European tourism – destination management and regional tourism growth
  • Establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695

The current timetables of the CULT Committee can be found here.

 

Outlook:

An overview of the following session weeks can be found here. The provisional agenda for the upcoming plenary sittings can be found here.

European Court of Justice

You can find the judicial calendar of the CJEU here.

The View from Brussels 11 June 2018

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