GDPR concerns grow over Digital Omnibus package for data

The European Commission's Digital Omnibus package to ease the regulatory burden by simplifying existing rules on cybersecurity and data is facing significant opposition from EU lawmakers and national governments. The plan seeks to reform the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to help the European artificial intelligence (AI) sector compete with the United States and China. However, lawmakers in the European Parliament and a majority of national governments, including those in Paris and Warsaw, have expressed concerns about changing the GDPR's core protections.

The article highlights that critics are calling the proposals an overstep that threatens Europe's global standing. Although the technology industry and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi argue that existing regulations are hindering Europe's global relevance, lawmakers and national governments are not willing to compromise on the safeguards intended to protect against data-driven technologies. The implications are that the omnibus package is progressing slowly, with insiders predicting it will not pass until 2027 at the earliest and is likely to be heavily amended.

In contrast, omnibus on AI is progressing rapidly, with trilogue negotiations expected to conclude before summer. 

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