The groundwork for digitalization’s legal path and an increasingly data-driven economy is being laid primarily in Brussels. This is particularly evident this year, with the European Commission having taken up a series of projects which will decisively shape Europe’s digital and data legal framework over the next decade.
In view of the complexity of the regulatory fields and the concurrent interdependencies of many initiatives – such as the GDPR and the future regulatory framework on artificial intelligence – the Commission, the EU Parliament, and the Member States are faced with an immense challenge. All the more so, given that what is at stake is nothing short of the innovation and competitiveness of the European economy, which has a lot of catching up to do with the US and Asian markets, especially in the digital sector. A modern, technology-neutral legal framework that wisely balances innovation and business promotion on the one hand, and the protection of consumer rights and European values on the other, will therefore have a vital influence on the mammoth task of digitalizing the European economy.
Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act
The Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act are two current horizontal regulatory projects which stand out in this process. These acts are already in motion and will bring fundamental legal changes, especially for digital platforms. And an even closer inspection reveals that we can expect a wide raft of further projects and directional decisions from Brussels this year.
In the latest edition of eco’s dotmagazine, you can find the entire article on this topic, presented by Oliver Süme, Chair of the eco Board. The German version of the article is also available in a new edition of the German Zeitschrift für das Recht der digitalen Wirtschaft (Journal of Digital Industry Law).
