Better regulation: speed should not become a substitute for transparency
On February 4, the Commission closed its Better Regulation consultation: most of the 286 respondents urged keeping impact assessments and consultation tools strong.
Posts
Confusing messaging on potential network fees at the ITRE committee
At ITRE, EVP Henna Virkkunen pitched the Digital Networks Act. The DNA's Articles 191–193 revive fears of de facto network fees, and S&D’s Mattias Ecke pressed for safeguards. The Commission offered little clarity and hinted it could later “revise” the mechanism.
Governments Doing Good
Estonian ambition to leverage AI: 50% GDP increase by 2035
Estonia just launched eesti.AI project, targeting +25% GDP by 2030 and +50% by 2035, by pairing AI with its digital-state know-how and public-private partnerships to deliver scalable AI applications .
Red Tape Roadblocks
Italo-German competitiveness to-do list for Europe
Merz and Meloni’s updated Italo-German Plan of Action doubles down on legislative self-restraint, simplification, and better regulation. The real test now is the Omnibus push and a Better Regulation reform.
Digital Networks Act: backdoors for network fees and more
The Commission’s draft Digital Networks Act would replace the 2018 EECC and reopen old fights: less national control over spectrum, a costly copper switch-off by 2035, and a “voluntary” conciliation backdoor that could revive de facto network fees.
Who uses AI in Europe - and where it’s still taboo
The EU is funding AI adoption, drafting preparedness plans, and issuing ethics guidance, but AI tool use remains uneven and sometimes taboo. With 64% of Europeans saying AI literacy will be essential by 2030, the real test is turning ambition into measurable, high-scale outcomes.
2026: a year for preparation and a sharper focus
2026 is the EU’s digital “set-up” year: a time to simplify rules, set priorities, and brace for transatlantic spillovers as major legislative initiatives race toward 2027.
Time to tone down the arrogance - we need the 28th regime to be ambitious
In 2026 Q1, the Commission will propose the 28th regime - an EU-wide regime for corporate law. It won’t fix everything, but it’s a real test: do we build a single market for founders, or another paper initiative?
Red Tape Roadblocks
Between a rock and a hard place: Europe needs a mental shift in 2026
The world that many generations of Europeans, especially Western Europeans, have been used to is now gone, and a change in perspective is needed. Either we do it willingly, or worsening circumstances will force that change upon us.
Red Tape Roadblocks
US threatens European companies (and why it may not have the desired effect)
US trade officials warned on X that European service providers could face fees and restrictions if the EU keeps “discriminatory” tech rules.
Europe has both a competitiveness and a fantasy-thinking problem
As EU governments discuss the Digital Omnibus, Europe is divided: some see the Omnibus as a necessary step to help European companies, while others cling to rules like the GDPR and the AI Act.
EU’s plans to reduce dependency on high-risk vendors
As the EU prepares to revise its Cybersecurity Act, the EU is quietly choking off funding for “high-risk” Chinese 5G vendors, pushing mobile operators and Member States toward European suppliers like Nokia and Ericsson.
Explaining EU innovation, consumer and tech policy