The Commission set fire to Brussels with its proposed “digital axe”: massive cuts to fundamental digital laws, delays to the EU AI Act, and relaxation of personal data protection, all allegedly to boost competitiveness.The “digital omnibus”Europe is willing and capable of fully adapting to embrace the digital age,” said the Commissioner for Simplification, Valdis Dombrovskis.”This is the biggest attack on the digital rights of EuropeansThe simplification effort is being promoted as a growth strategy for European artificial intelligence, but analysts are divided on whether the cuts will be effective.
“If this is about competitiveness, this certainly doesn’t help,” said Mario Mariniello from Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank. The move increases uncertainty, endangers human rights, and benefits American companies at the expense of European ones, Mariniello added.
According to Giulia Torchio from the European Policy Centre, there is much room for improvement in the digital rules, but the hurried approach will cause “negative uncertainty.”
“I don’t see consistency or strategy,” Torchio stressed.
The Commission repeatedly cited Mario Draghi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, whose report last year called Europe’s low productivity an “existential threat.” Draghi has since called for “radical simplification” of the GDPR and faster adoption of artificial intelligence.
Torchio said the Commission is hiding behind Draghi as if he were some kind of Messiah. “They are following him like Forrest Gump,” Mariniello “There was already uncertainty in the GDPR from the beginning,” said Bertin Martens, also from Bruegel.
“These changes, they will create a level regulatory playing field again, so everyone knows what the rules are,” he added.
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