Not yet officially published, but already under attack from all sides, the Commission’s ‘Omnibus’ legislative proposal to simplify digital regulation, a leaked version of which was analysed by Agence Europe on 6 November (see EUROPE 13747/1), has prompted reactions from more than a hundred associations for the protection of fundamental and digital rights.
In a letter published on Tuesday 11 November, 127 organisations, including EDRi, condemned the direction taken by the Commission as “an attempt to covertly dismantle Europe’s strongest protections against digital threats”.
If this ‘Omnibus’ project were to go ahead, “it would be the biggest rollback of digital fundamental rights in EU history”, warn the signatories. In their view, the changes “weaken” a number of protections against online monitoring and surveillance, the misuse of data by AI, and the exploitation of sensitive information by foreign and domestic actors.
“By recasting vital laws like the GDPR, ePrivacy, AI Act, DSA, DMA, Open Internet Regulation (DNA), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and other crucial laws as ‘red tape’, the EU is giving in to powerful corporate and state actors who oppose the principles of a fair, safe and democratic digital landscape”, say the organisations.
The Commission’s ‘Omnibus’ project, which is intended to simplify a whole raft of digital legislation, is due on 19 November. Many have already expressed doubts about the scope of the text and the dangers that these adjustments could pose to the Union’s digital sovereignty and the rights of its citizens.
To see the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/jfv (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)