News, Publications and Consultations from the Past Week
News CW 47 (17-23.11.2025)
DSA: The Commission has published several reports on the Digital Services Act (DSA), highlighting both the coherence of the regulatory framework and key risks on very large online platforms. While the assessment confirms that the thresholds for very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) remain fit-for-purpose, it also identifies regulatory overlaps – for example, in relation to dark patterns or transparency obligations. Another report provides the first comprehensive overview of systemic risks such as illegal content, dangers to minors and the impact of generative AI. At the same time, political pressure is growing: several political groups in the European Parliament are criticising the slow enforcement against some platforms and calling for more decisive action from the Commission.
Digital package: The European Commission has presented a comprehensive digital package that aims to simplify numerous digital laws, including AI law, cybersecurity requirements and data protection through an omnibus regulation, thereby reducing bureaucracy. Key points include the postponement of central AI Act obligations, significant changes to the GDPR to facilitate data use for AI training, and the introduction of a European business wallet, which is intended to digitalise administrative processes across the EU and save billions for businesses. While the Commission presents this as a boost to innovation and a contribution to competitiveness, analysts and data protection advocates warn of legal uncertainty, weakened fundamental rights and a possible competitive advantage for US companies. The proposals will now enter negotiations with Parliament and the Council and are likely to remain politically controversial.
Digital infrastructure: The EU Commission is investing around €389 million from the CEF Digital Programme in 56 projects aimed at expanding secure high-performance networks, 5G large scale pilot projects along key transport corridors, and the European quantum communication infrastructure. These measures will strengthen the EU’s digital resilience and competitiveness and lay the foundations for state-of-the-art connectivity across Europe.
Digital Fairness Act: In its Consumer Agenda 2030, the EU Commission announces that it will focus the planned Digital Fairness Act more strongly on protecting children online, as minors are considered particularly vulnerable and tech-savvy users. At the same time, the Commission is planning an EU-wide investigation on the impact of social media on children’s well-being and is preparing further reforms to strengthen its enforcement powers in consumer protection.
AI: The EU Commission intends to apply the high-risk rules of the AI Act only once the necessary technical standards are in place, which could mean a delay until the end of 2027 or 2028, depending on the area of application. As the Parliament and Council must give their approval and political resistance is expected, negotiations could drag on until 2026.
Digital sovereignty: Germany and France are moving closer together on the issue of digital sovereignty and have announced plans to significantly reduce Europe’s dependence on US technologies, which is gaining additional pressure from recent cloud outages and geopolitical risks. Both countries want to focus more on European solutions in the future, target US cloud giants with regulations and develop joint criteria for technological independence in order to strengthen Europe as an independent digital player.
Selected Publications from the EP Think Tanks
- European grids package: Lessons learnt from the implementation of the TEN E framework
- Future-proofing the Quantum Europe Strategy for 2040
- THE LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030
- Online protection of minors
- Violence against women active in politics in the EU: A serious obstacle to political participation
Ongoing Relevant European Commission Consultations
- EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for cross-border education, training and solidarity, young people, media, culture, and creative sectors, values, and civil society (until 25.11.2025)
- Cross-border judicial cooperation – revision of Eurojust Regulation (impact assessment) (until 25.11.2025)
- EU Quantum Act (until 26.11.2025)
- 2021-2024 evaluation of the EU’s 6 executive agencies (until 26.11.2025)
- EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for external action (until 28.11.2025)
- Chips Act 2 (until 28.11.2025)
- Motor vehicles: effective and secure access to on-board diagnostic and repair & maintenance information (delegated act) (until 02.12.2025)
- Returning irregular migrants – digitalising case management (until 05.12.2025)
- Standardised Regulation – revision (until 17.12.2025)
- Geoblocking Regulation – evaluation (until 29.12.2025)
- Law enforcement cooperation – new Europol regulation (proposal) (until 15.01.2026)
- Simplification – digital package and omnibus (until 17.01.2026)
- European Research Area Act (until 23.01.2026)
- Product legislation – ensuring futureproof rules (revision of the New Legislative Framework – NLF) (until02.2026)
- Digital fitness check – testing the cumulative impact of the EU’s digital rules (until03.2026)
Selections of the Current Week, CW 48 (24-30.11.2025)
Council:
The current preview of the Council’s work for the upcoming days until 07.12.2025 can be found here.
Summit and Ministerial Meetings:
- European Union-African summit, -25.11.2025
- Foreign Affairs Council (Trade), 11.2025, Agenda
- Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council (Education and youth), 11.2025, Agenda
- Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council (Culture and sport), 11.2025, Agenda
Preparatory Bodies:
- Budget Committee, 11.2025, Agenda
- Ad Hoc Working Party On The Multiannual Financial Framework (European Competitiveness Fund), 11.2025, Agenda
- JHA INFORMATION EXCHANGE, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on e-Justice, 11.2025, Agenda
- Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Research, 11.2025
- FINANCIAL SERVICES ATTACHES, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth – Internal Market, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Telecommunications and Information Society, 11.2025, Agenda
- WP on Hybrid Threats, 11.2025
- Working Party on Information, 11.2025, Agenda
- Ad Hoc WP on prep. Council concl. on enhanc. prepared., resp. capability & resilience future crisis, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Plants & Plants Health Questions (Chief Plant Health Officers), 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Energy, 11.2025
- Ad Hoc WP on Defense Industry, 11.2025
- COREPER II, 11.2025
- Trade Policy Committee (TPC) – Experts (Services and Investment), 11.2025, Agenda
- COREPER I, 11.2025
- JHA COUNSELLORS, 11.2025, Agenda
- Security Committee – Information Assurance (AQUAs, experts), 11.2025, Agenda
- Ad Hoc Working Party On The Multiannual Financial Framework (European Competitiveness Fund), 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Maritime Issues (EU Maritime Security Strategy – EUMSS), 11.2025, Agenda
- Trade Policy Committee (TPC) – Deputies, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Research, 11.2025
- Working Party on Energy, 11.2025
- Working Party on Public International Law, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Telecommunication and Information Society, 11.2025, Agenda
- COREPER II, 11.2025
- Working Party on Civil Law Matters (JUSTCIV), 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Competition, 11.2025, Agenda
- FINANCIAL SERVICES ATTACHES, 11.2025, Agenda
- Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth – Industry, 11.2025, Agenda
- COREPER I, 11.2025
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 (STRA)
The agenda for the current plenary sittings week can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:
- European Defence Industry Programme and framework of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defence products (‘EDIP’)
- Communication on the Democracy Shield
- Decision to maintain the action before the Court of Justice for the annulment of the decision of the Commission on the withdrawal of the Standard essential patents proposal
- Institutional aspects of the Report on the future of European Competitiveness (Draghi Report)
- Impact of artificial intelligence on the financial sector
- Protection of minors online
- Digital Package
- Increasing the efficiency of the EU guarantee under the InvestEU Regulation and simplifying reporting requirements
- EU response to China’s rare earth export restrictions
- Access to finance for SMEs and scale-ups
- Protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: the case of child-like sex dolls, weapons and other illegal products and material
- Continuous violations and sabotage of EU airspace and critical infrastructure originating from Russia and Belarus
- Implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
- Amending Regulations on the Internal Market Information System (IMI) and on the Single digital gateway as regards certain harmonisation requirements on transparency
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 and the plenary sittings for 2026 is available here.
Committees
LIBE Committee (Civil Liberties)
No meeting of the LIBE Committee is scheduled for this week.
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.
No meeting of the ITRE Committee is scheduled for this week.
The current timetables of the ITRE Committee (as of 18.11.2025) can be found here.
IMCO Committee (Internal Market)
No meeting of the IMCO Committee is scheduled for this week.
The current timetables of the IMCO Committee (as of 11.11.2025) can be found here.
CULT Committee (Culture and Education)
No meeting of the CULT Committee is scheduled for this week.
The current timetables of the CULT Committee can be found here.
Outlook:
An overview of the following session weeks can be found here.
European Court of Justice
You can find the judicial calendar of the CJEU here.
For Thursday, the Advocate General’s Opinion in the AGCOM case (C-421/24) is scheduled. The request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato (Italy) dated 14 June 2024 – Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM) / Google Ireland Limited – concerns questions related to the liability of hosting providers for the promotion of games or bets with monetary winnings as well as games of chance.
