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.

Tags: Call for Evidence, Digital Omnibus
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Photo of Dan Cooper Dan Cooper

Daniel Cooper is co-chair of Covington’s Data Privacy and Cyber Security Practice, and advises clients on information technology regulatory and policy issues, particularly data protection, consumer protection, AI, and data security matters. He has over 20 years of experience in the field, representing…

Daniel Cooper is co-chair of Covington’s Data Privacy and Cyber Security Practice, and advises clients on information technology regulatory and policy issues, particularly data protection, consumer protection, AI, and data security matters. He has over 20 years of experience in the field, representing clients in regulatory proceedings before privacy authorities in Europe and counseling them on their global compliance and government affairs strategies. Dan regularly lectures on the topic, and was instrumental in drafting the privacy standards applied in professional sport.

According to Chambers UK, his “level of expertise is second to none, but it’s also equally paired with a keen understanding of our business and direction.” It was noted that “he is very good at calibrating and helping to gauge risk.”

Dan is qualified to practice law in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium. He has also been appointed to the advisory and expert boards of privacy NGOs and agencies, such as the IAPP’s European Advisory Board, Privacy International and the European security agency, ENISA.

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Photo of Kristof Van Quathem Kristof Van Quathem

Kristof Van Quathem advises clients on information technology matters and policy, with a focus on data protection, cybercrime and various EU data-related initiatives, such as the Data Act, the AI Act and EHDS.

Kristof has been specializing in this area for over twenty…

Kristof Van Quathem advises clients on information technology matters and policy, with a focus on data protection, cybercrime and various EU data-related initiatives, such as the Data Act, the AI Act and EHDS.

Kristof has been specializing in this area for over twenty years and developed particular experience in the life science and information technology sectors. He counsels clients on government affairs strategies concerning EU lawmaking and their compliance with applicable regulatory frameworks, and has represented clients in non-contentious and contentious matters before data protection authorities, national courts and the Court of the Justice of the EU.

Kristof is admitted to practice in Belgium.

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Photo of Anna Sophia Oberschelp de Meneses Anna Sophia Oberschelp de Meneses

Anna Sophia Oberschelp de Meneses is special counsel in the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group.

Anna is a qualified Portuguese lawyer, but is both a native Portuguese and German speaker.

Anna advises companies on European data protection law and helps clients coordinate…

Anna Sophia Oberschelp de Meneses is special counsel in the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group.

Anna is a qualified Portuguese lawyer, but is both a native Portuguese and German speaker.

Anna advises companies on European data protection law and helps clients coordinate international data protection law projects.

She has obtained a certificate for “corporate data protection officer” by the German Association for Data Protection and Data Security (“Gesellschaft für Datenschutz und Datensicherheit e.V.”). She is also Certified Information Privacy Professional Europe (CIPPE/EU) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Anna also advises companies in the field of EU consumer law and has been closely tracking the developments in this area.

Her extensive language skills allow her to monitor developments and help clients tackle EU Data Privacy, Cybersecurity and Consumer Law issues in various EU and ROW jurisdictions.

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