Today the European Commission is due to issue its mid-term review for the EU Agenda for the Digital Single Market. eco Director of Policy & Law, Oliver Süme, comments:
“The European Commission has recognized the numerous challenges posed by digitalization and is dedicated to following its vision of a common European Digital Single Market. A lot has happened in Internet policy in the last two years on the European level. The Commission has decisively set the course for the digital transformation of the economy and society throughout Europe in many areas. However, unfortunately the best solution has often not been found.”
Süme criticizes the lack of attention to detail in drafting legislation and inconsistency in the overall legislative approach: “A recent example is the planned ePrivacy directive, which was obviously planned under huge time pressure and now threatens to put into question the compromise between users and corporate interests that was reached with much effort and time in the negotiations on the European General Data Protection Regulation.” A further example Süme mentions is the current proposal for the reform of EU copyright, which – in its plans to establish ancillary copyright protection for publishers and filter infrastructures – represents an attack on the eCommerce Directive and on European fundamental rights .
From the point of view of the Internet industry, the EU is currently creating too many uncertainties. “The European Union is so often the trailblazer for definitive regulation. Not the least in this role, but also for its citizens, its priority should be to create a balanced, future-oriented and competitive body of regulation which provides legal certainty and reliable framework conditions,” Süme recommends.
A current overview in German of all ongoing legislation process related to the European Digital Agenda can be found here.
