Connect Europe and the GSMA views on the Digital Omnibus

Connect Europe and the GSMA, representing the European telecommunication sector, welcome the opportunity to comment on the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus and to offer our views on how this initiative can help to simplify the regulatory landscape related to data, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

We appreciate the European Commission’s ambition to simplify the EU rulebook and to “stress-test” the current digital rules, resulting in lower administrative costs, more coherent regulation, and a harmonised regulatory framework in line with the EU’s goals for a more competitive Europe. We also see the need and added value of effective regulation that strikes the right balance between safeguarding individuals’ fundamental rights and enabling innovation and competitiveness.

An overly complex regulatory landscape, marked by the proliferation of legislative instruments and their unclear and fragmented interplays, risks undermining the very objectives set out by EU institutions.

To effectively protect individuals’ rights while promoting innovation and competitiveness, it is essential to ensure that companies are not overwhelmed by disproportionate bureaucracy, excessive paperwork, or unrealistic expectations (e.g., due to obstacles they cannot control).

For instance, efforts and investments should be directed toward implementing effective and meaningful measures, rather than being consumed by administrative burdens. Geopolitical and market realities must be acknowledged, and the interactions and cumulative (in some instances, redundant) effects of obligations across different EU legal texts must be clarified to avoid legal uncertainty and regulatory fatigue.

Based on the scope of the current call for evidence, Connect Europe and GSMA members are concerned that urgent and necessary regulatory simplification in the telecoms sector is being de-prioritised relative to efforts to simplify or streamline regulation on digital platforms.

While we are supportive of common-sense modifications to reporting requirements under the EU’s Digital Acquis, these efforts must be matched — if not exceeded — in terms of pace and ambition with simplification of the telecoms regulatory framework, recognising the regulatory asymmetry that exists between digital services and telecoms operators.

In this regard, we believe that the Commission can be more ambitious in tackling regulation that truly hinders innovation and competitiveness, particularly with regard to the ePrivacy Directive and cybersecurity framework simplification. We believe that only a high level of ambition will result in real change and will strengthen European players.

We share our views on the ePrivacy Directive, the data acquis, the cybersecurity framework, and the AI Act below.