Innovation Featured Europe will not be sovereign behind walls As digital sovereignty rises on the agenda, Denmark’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Caroline Stage, and Danish Entrepreneurs’ Peter Kofler argue Europe won’t secure its future by turning inward, but by boosting competitiveness, innovation, and scaling in an open global economy.
Privacy Featured Time to talk about encryption (again) Consumer Choice Center Europe has joined a global statement defending strong encryption, warning that efforts to fight online crime must not weaken secure communication or end-to-end encryption as the EU debates the controversial Chat Control proposal.
DMA Featured CEE consumers’ DMA experience and two ways to fix it A new ECIPE/EPPP paper, based on a 3,500-person CEE survey, finds low DMA awareness but clear UX fallout: slower launches, missing features, and safety worries. The authors urge two paths: repeal the DMA or reform it to put consumers first.
Best practices Featured Is the EUDI wallet a digital silver bullet? When EU policymakers launched the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI) under eIDAS 2.0, they promised a secure single ID for seamless cross-border use. But seen through the lens of wicked problems, it’s no silver bullet—more a starting point that merits cautious optimism
Best practices Featured The DFA’s public consultation exposes Europe’s survey sore spots The DFA consultation is structured in a traditionally biased way: supporters of more regulation can justify their view, while dissenters cannot. To uphold Better Regulation principles, the Commission should adopt a neutral, balanced survey design.
Global Featured Russia's new jab at Western social media platforms Russia’s new Law No. 72-FZ bans all advertising on “undesirable” or extremist platforms, tightening control over Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, with fines looming and influencers turning to VK, RuTube, or crypto to keep earning.
News Featured Confirmed: the EU will not introduce network fees Just in: The US and EU have agreed on a new Framework for Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade after weeks of talks. On digital policy, the EU confirmed it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees, reaffirming the White House’s earlier position.
Privacy Featured Children, age verification and the future of VPNs in Europe As the EU reviews cybersecurity and privacy laws, VPNs may face new child-protection and age-verification rules. While uncertain, the UK’s messy experience could push the EU toward measures that risk undermining privacy.
AI Featured Data centers: too many blank spots in the CEE The IEA's data center map shows that Central and Eastern Europe remains underserved by data centers, despite favorable conditions. As the EU prepares €20B AI Gigafactories, Poland and the Baltics push to secure investment and strengthen the region’s digital sovereignty.”
News Featured Booking.com faces class action lawsuit at home The Amsterdam court will have to decide between compensating hotels for past losses or focusing on Booking.com’s current conduct, highlighting the broader tension between market fairness and Europe’s global tech competitiveness.
Connectivity Featured Network fees off the table: the US-EU trade deal The White House says the EU has committed to not introducing network fees, a significant step in transatlantic digital policy talks. While details about the EU's true commitment remain unclear, such fees risk undermining net neutrality and raising consumer costs, as seen in South Korea.
Best practices Featured AI desks go live in Germany, Austria; EU’s price tag: €2M Germany and Austria have launched simple AI service desks to guide companies under the AI Act. The EU’s €2M version, expected by August 2025, will rely on human staff for general guidance (not thorough legal advice) and respond in 12 EU languages within 2 days.
AI Featured Trump’s AI Action plan: European reflections The American AI Action Plan pushes for “global dominance”, and the EU should follow suit where possible, particularly with regulatory feedback loops and stronger military AI capacity at the Member State level.
Data Featured The GDPR review to be discussed by Justice Ministers The Danish EU Presidency is pushing GDPR reform to boost competitiveness, proposing SME-friendly changes like limiting data rights in low-risk cases, simplifying DPIAs, and requiring prior engagement before complaints. Broader reforms may still be needed for hyperscalers.
Connectivity Featured European sovereignty: the China factor The current debate on European digital sovereignty largely targets American tech, while 5G infrastructure sovereignty and security are often sidelined as "non-priority" or "too expensive".
Connectivity Featured European consumers say 'no' to network fees Eighty-one organizations representing European consumer interests have issued a joint statement opposing the revival of network fees - or "fair share" - in the context of the upcoming Digital Networks Act.
AI Featured US-EU 90-day tariff pause ends tomorrow As the US-EU 90-day tariff pause nears its end, digital tensions remain unresolved. Despite growing pushback from startups and Member States, the European Commission stays firm on its digital agenda - from the DMA and DSA to the AI Act's rollout.
News Featured Opportunities for media outlets & blogs We created EU Tech Loop to break info barriers around digital policy - no paywalls, no gatekeeping. Want to share our content? Email us at editor@eutechloop.com - let’s talk!
E-governance Featured The EU Commission should respect Member States’ opinions on Europe’s digital infrastructure needs In December, EU ministers at the TTE Council largely opposed easing telecom mergers, extending telecom rules to digital services, and introducing new IP rules, citing risks to net neutrality and consumers. Will the Commission respect their opinion?
News Featured EU Tech Loop wrap-up: November 2024 In this month’s EU Tech Loop wrap-up we dive into the EU's digital future: the EU Commission’s tech agenda, Digital Networks Act, Ukraine’s e-gov lessons, AI sandbox progress, BRICS digital sovereignty, EU red tape cuts, and EU-US tech ties.
Innovation Featured New survey reveals: CEE startups want more urgent action from national regulators Today, the Consumer Choice Center Europe (CCCE) released survey results examining how EU data strategy regulations impact operations and innovation potential among startups in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
News Featured Letter to Henna Virkkunen in anticipation of Parliament hearings next week [This is a repost of CCC Europe's letter to VP & Commissioner-designate for Technological sovereignty, security, and democracy Henna Virkkunen in anticipation of European Parliament hearings next week.]
News Featured EU Tech Loop wrap-up: October 2024 With Commissioners-designate soon heading into European Parliament committee hearings and the entire College of Commissioners expected to be approved by early December, the EU tech industry—and consumers—are eagerly awaiting to see what comes next.
News Featured EU Tech Loop wrap-up: September 2024 EU's September was rich in tech and telco debates: the proposed Commissioners were revealed, Draghi published his competitiveness proposals, the Commission's consultation results on digital infrastructure needs were released.
News Featured EU Tech Loop wrap-up: August 2024 August was quiet for the EU tech policy bubble, but soon it'll be back to action with the Hungarian Presidency, a new European Commission, and controversial ideas revisited. Last month, we covered key discussions—from Musk vs. Breton to von der Leyen's future plans. Enjoy the read!
