On September 16, 2025, the European Commission launched a call for evidence to collect feedback and best practices on simplifying several key areas of the EU digital rulebook, ahead of its planned Digital Omnibus package. This initiative targets legislation related to data, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, aiming to reduce administrative burdens and compliance costs for businesses while preserving high standards of fairness, security, and privacy online.
Background
The call builds on extensive consultations on the Data Union Strategy, Cybersecurity Act revision, and AI Strategy. It fits within the Commission’s broader simplification agenda set out in the A Simpler and Faster Europe Communication and supports goals in the Competitiveness Compass to cut administrative burden by at least 25% for all companies and 35% for SMEs.
Scope
The Digital Omnibus will propose targeted amendments to:
- Data legislation: Streamline and clarify rules in the Data Governance Act, Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation, and Open Data Directive to resolve fragmentation and ease compliance for data-driven SMEs.
- Cookies and tracking: Modernize ePrivacy Directive provisions to reduce user consent fatigue, clarify lawful access, and improve data availability for businesses, in alignment with EU data protection laws.
- Cybersecurity incident reporting: Simplify and harmonize breach and incident reporting requirements across regulations and sectors to reduce administrative complexity while maintaining cybersecurity protections.
- Artificial Intelligence Act: Ensure predictable, practical application of the recently adopted AI rules, addressing challenges faced by businesses, particularly smaller firms, and improving alignment with related laws.
- European Digital Identity Framework: Enhance legal certainty for trusted service providers and relying parties, considering the forthcoming EU Business Wallet and applying the ‘one in, one out’ regulatory principle.
Stakeholders including businesses, public authorities, and civil society are invited to submit feedback by October 14, 2025.
Next Steps and Impact
The Digital Omnibus package is expected to be published by the end of this year. The subsequent Digital Fitness Check will evaluate the overall coherence and cumulative impact of the EU digital acquis to identify further simplification opportunities.
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Covington & Burling is monitoring these developments closely and stands ready to assist companies with participation in consultations and compliance preparations related to these forthcoming digital simplification initiatives.