17.03.2026

The View from Brussels #11-2026

News, Publications and Consultations from the Past Week

News CW 11 (09-15.03.2026)

DSA: The European Commission organised a TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange) workshop with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine. Among others, the Directorates-General CONNECT and ENEST, as well as representatives of Digital Services Coordinators of EU Member States, exchanged views with the accession candidates on online risks and the regulation of platforms.

AI: The ambassadors of the Member States have agreed to ban AI applications that can be used to generate sexualised images of individuals without their consent. To this end, the Artificial Intelligence Act is to be amended. Furthermore, the requirements for high-risk AI systems are not due to come into force until December 2027.

Chat control: The European Parliament has voted to extend the transitional arrangement and is set to expire on 3 April 2026 and to remain in force until 3 August 2027.

DFA: In an open letter to the European Commission, more than 200 consumer protection associations, civil society organisations and academics called for an ambitious Digital Fairness Act.

Data protection: The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) warned, in a letter to Commissioners McGrath and Brunner, about efforts by the United States to require the collection and disclosure of social media activity in the last five years as a condition of entry.

Start-ups: Euractiv reports on the draft proposals for the EU Inc/the 28th regime.

Selected Publications from the EP Think Tanks

 

Ongoing Relevant European Commission Consultations

Selections of the Current Week, CW 12 (16-22.03.2026)

Council:

The current preview of the Council’s work for the upcoming days until 29.03.2026 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

There are no plenary sittings of the European Parliament taking place this week.

Here you can find a list of the upcoming dates of the European Parliament. The calendar of the plenary sittings for 2026 is available here (PDF).

Committees

LIBE Committee (Civil Liberties)

The agenda for the current meeting of the LIBE Committee taking place on 18-19.03.2026 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 United Nations Convention against Cybercrime; Strengthening International Cooperation for Combating Certain Crimes Committed by Means of Information and Communications Technology Systems and for the Sharing of Evidence in Electronic Form of Serious Crimes
  • LIBE Committee Mission to the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) Estonia, Tallinn,15-16 September 2025
  • Amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1232 as regards the extension of its period of application

The agenda for the joint committee procedure of the LIBE Committee and the IMCO Committee on 18 March 2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda item is relevant:

  • 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)

The agenda for the joint meeting of the LIBE Committee and the Committee on Budgetary Control on 18 March 2026 can be found here.

The agenda for the joint meeting of the LIBE Committee, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, and the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield on 18 March 2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda item is relevant:

  • Democracy and Elections in the Artificial Intelligence Era

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

JURI Committee (Legal Affairs)

No meeting of the JURI Committee is scheduled for this week.

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

ITRE Committee (Industry)

No meeting of the ITRE Committee is scheduled for this week.

The current timetables of the ITRE Committee (as of 10.03.2026) can be found here.

IMCO Committee (Internal Market)

The agenda for the joint committee procedure of the IMCO Committee and the LIBE Committee on 18 March 2026 can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda item is relevant:

  • 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)

The current timetables of the IMCO Committee (as of 26.02.2026) can be found here.

CULT Committee (Culture and Education)

The agenda for the current meeting of the CULT Committee taking place on 18.03.2026 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
  • A new strategy for media literacy and digital learning
  • Workshop on “Artificial Intelligence in classrooms: Ethical, pedagogical and cognitive dimensions”

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 Opinions of the Advocate General in the following cases are scheduled for Thursday (19 March 2026):

The View from Brussels 11 June 2018