Amid the ongoing uncertainty linked to the Trump tariffs, the EU is also facing internal turbulence driven by the numerous forthcoming strategies, communications, and omnibus packages, as well as the initial mandate-related deadlines that are fast approaching. 

While new initiatives are beginning to take shape, several ongoing negotiations and developments continue to draw significant attention from industry stakeholders, political actors and member states’ representatives. These include the still-uncertain outcome of the negotiations on the CSA Regulation, the delays and developments surrounding the implementation of the AI Act, and the growing momentum around the upcoming evaluation of the Recommendation on combating online piracy of sports and other live events. 

This continued engagement is reflected in the active collection of input by the Secretariat from EuroISPA members and the Board’s strong presence in various meetings. You can find all relevant deadlines for calls for input listed at the end of each corresponding update, as well as in the “Ongoing Activities” section at the end of the newsletter. 

ONLINE CONTENT 

Polish Presidency compromise text on the CSA Regulation 

As reported in the previous edition of the monthly report, the Polish Presidency has been working on a new compromise text for the CSAR, dated 4^th of April. As main takeaways from the draft text, we take note of the wording on ‘voluntary’ scanning orders for messaging services as well as on the safeguards around encryption, referencing that ‘the legislation should not be interpreted as prohibiting, weakening or circumventing end-to-end encryption’. 

Member States appear divided in this new version of the compromise text, as some countries argue for stronger language on detection orders making it obligatory for messaging services, while others raise privacy concerns. In a recent document, Spain, Hungary, Ireland and Estonia claimed that the voluntary approach is ‘insufficient to provide security for minors’ and that it ‘represents a significant step backwards’. On the other side, Poland appears to remain firm in its position on voluntary scanning. 

The Polish Presidency might not conclude the negotiations by the end of its term, meaning that the discussions will move on under the Danish Presidency (July-December 2025).

Panel on DSA during the EUIPO Conference on live event piracy 

On 30 April, European Commission’s DG CNECT representative Maria Tubasa touched upon the interplay of the Recommendation of live events piracy and key-provisions of the DSA relevant to the topic in a dedicated panel. She noted that by November 2025 the Commission, within the exercise of the evaluation of the Recommendation, will also assess the impact of the DSA on the unauthorised transmissions of live events. 

She reiterated that the European Commission’s work is guided by some enforcement priorities: protections of minors, consumers and electoral integrity. 

At the same conference, two EuroISPA Board members, Alex de Joode (AMS-IX) and Dalia Coffetti (AIIP), participated as guest speakers to a panel on IPTV piracy, debating with other stakeholders challenges and existing solutions of this specific issue. 

Work on DSA’s annual risk assessments resumes 

Today, 7 May, the Commission is holding a day-long workshop on risk assessments under the Digital Services Act, directed to Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines, and to which civil society, academia and national authorities are also expected to participate. The yearly risk assessments, required under Articles 34 and 35, are a key transparency pillar of the DSA and mandate VLOPs and VLOSEs to identify, assess, and mitigate systemic risks, like disinformation or minors’ protection, posed by their services.  

As a reminder, the Commission has commissioned a study to be delivered to the Board of Digital Services Coordinators (the national authorities implementing the regulation) on the risk assessments.  

Age verification controversy continues 

In the wait of the (delayed) publication of European Commission’s guidelines on minors’ protection, controversy on age verification continues to spark debate in Europe. While everyone seems to agree on the need to implement age verification, it is not clear whose responsibility this should be: the app stores or the apps. The Meta-owned social media platform Instagram rolled out a campaign on 6 May to ask for EU regulation that would require age verification to happen on the App Store and not by the apps themselves. According to a Meta spokesperson talking to Politico, the campaign will run in Belgium, Denmark, France and Italy until the end of June.  

The U.S. are also working on the issue. Utah’s App Store Accountability Act takes effect today, 7 May, allocating the responsibility to mobile app stores to verify ages. Similar bills have been introduced by Republicans in the U.S. Congress and Senate.  

DATA ECONOMY 

Axel Voss hosts first roundtable in view of INI report on AI & Copyright 

On 6 May, German MEP from the EPP group Axel Voss held an online stakeholder roundtable to gather input on his upcoming own-initiative report on AI and Copyright. The MEP shared that a presentation of the EUIPO study on the Development of Generative AI from a Copyright Perspective will take place on 12 May (agenda), and that the presentation of the European Parliament’s study requested by JURI will happen sometime in June. Despite no official timeline, the draft report is foreseen by mid-July. 

MEP Voss noted the need to strike a balance between AI developers and copyright holders and invited stakeholders to share their views on the preferred direction for the INI report. Among the issues to be tackled in the report, he suggested transparency, (unfitness of) TDM exception, opt-out standard, licensing, liability. 

Given the high level of participation and the imbalance in representation, the MEP will organise another roundtable and has invited stakeholders to coordinate by “sector” in order to streamline their messages more effectively. 

The EuroISPA Secretariat took part in the meeting and will provide more details to members during the Joint Committee Meeting planned for next week (15 May, 14:00-16:00). 

Digital rights groups and scientists concerned about encryption in Internal Security Strategy 

In a letter addressed to European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, civil society organisations, academics and relevant experts raised concerns over the Commission’s recently published Internal Security Strategy “ProtectEU,” particularly regarding the foreseen framework for law enforcement access to encrypted data. The stakeholders argue that the proposed Technology Roadmap on encryption risks undermining fundamental rights and collective cybersecurity. In the letter, dated 5 May, they also point out that technologies like client-side scanning, presented as secure and privacy-preserving, are actually privacy invasive and increase security risks. The stakeholders requested a meeting with EVP Henna Virkkunen and offered to provide expert technical briefings to support the Commission’s objectives. 

At national level, European governments argue that E2EE hampers law enforcement’s ability to combat serious crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, and child exploitation. The Danish Justice Minister and Europol warn that authorities are “fighting crime blindfolded.” National governments are also pursuing their own initiatives, with France, Spain, and the Nordics pushing legislation.  

Commission outlines details on GDPR simplification plans in email to experts 

In an email to an expert group at the end of April, the Commission’s DG JUST confirmed to its GDPR Multistakeholder Group that the simplification of GDPR will be part of a simplification package called the Fourth Omnibus, due to be published on 21 May. 

According to the email, the Commission is planning to extend the scope of Article 30(5) to cover “mid-cap” companies with fewer than 500 employees and with a certain annual turnover, as well as organisations such as nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees. Other changes might affect Article 35 (impact assessments) and Articles 40(1) and 42(1), relating to codes of conduct and certification mechanisms. 

The EuroISPA Secretariat is currently collecting input from members by 13 May CoB on member’s case studies related to GDPR implementation challenges (especially for SMEs) with the aim to send them to the European Commission and elaborating an answer to any upcoming consultation on the topic. 

European Data Union Strategy to streamline existing data legislation to support the AI development 

According to an input note from the Commission on the upcoming Data Union Strategy, part of the AI Continent Action Plan recently published, the main priority will be to streamline the existing data legislation with the aim of fostering AI development. The four pillars to be addressed are: 1) Data availability, access and use, 2) Simplification with an evaluation of the Data Governance Act, the Free Flow of Non-Personal Data Regulation and the Open Data Directive, 3) Administrative burden reduction and 4) International data flows. 

On GDPR, the Commission will look for feedback on the balance between data protection and technological innovation; on ePrivacy, the Commission wants to understand if the framework should be adapted. The consultation is due to be launched in Q2 2025, and the strategy to be published in Q3 2025.  

The input note also reports the intention of the Commission to come up with an “Internal Data Strategy,” to be presented alongside the Data Union Strategy expected for the second half of the year, focusing on “the fight against unjustified barriers to international data flows.”  

General-purpose AI models to be the subject of guidelines, Code of Practice delayed 

On 22 April, the Commission opened a public consultation in order to draft Guidelines for General-purpose AI models, to complement the Code of Practice. According to the working document, the Guidelines will focus on several key-concepts of the AIA including what is a ‘GPAI model’, who is the ‘provider’ and when is a downstream modifier a provider. They aim also at clarifying what constitutes a ‘placing on the market of a GPAI model, and when do the open-source exemptions apply as well as how to estimate the computational resources used to train or modify a model. 

The consultation is open until 22 May and the new Guidelines are expected “in May or June 2025.” In an email sent by the Commission to stakeholders involved in the drafting of the Code of Practice, which had a publication deadline of 2 May, the executive said that the code “should be published before August”. The Commission has also announced that it wants to open a targeted consultation on the classification of high-risk AIs. 

EDPB adopts guidelines on processing personal data through blockchain 

Following the plenary in April, the EDPB adopted Guidelines on processing of personal data through blockchain technologies, relevant to support the secure handling and transfer of data with traceability. With the guidelines, the EDPB is assessing the different architectures and their implications for the processing of personal data and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the different actors. With the publication of the guidelines, the Board opened a public consultation and sending feedback is possible until 9 June.  

In addition, the EDPB also confirmed to closely cooperate with the AI Office on the drafting of the Guidelines on the interplay between the AI Act and the GDPR.  

CYBERSECURITY & INFRASTRUCTURE 

EU urged to address foreign ownership risks in subsea cable infrastructure 

EU Member States have flagged a regulatory gap concerning the protection of submarine telecom cables from foreign ownership, according to feedback submitted to the European Commission. As part of broader efforts to bolster the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, governments see tighter control over subsea cables as a necessary next step to safeguard European connectivity and digital sovereignty. 

 

EU states push for sovereign cloud in key sectors 

EU Member States are calling for prioritised deployment of sovereign cloud solutions in strategic sectors such as health, finance, and defence, according to a summary of expert discussions under the Polish Council Presidency dated 25 April. For “highly critical use cases,” cloud services should be EU-controlled and cybersecurity-certified. Member States also stress the need to avoid vendor lock-in for public entities. Key barriers to new data centre deployment include access to reliable, renewable, and affordable electricity. Proposals include mapping strategic locations for data centres and exploring innovation in water management, cooling systems, component recycling, and AI-assisted load balancing. Harmonising permitting rules at EU level is also suggested to speed up infrastructure deployment. 

Bundeskartellamt reasserts need for strict merger control 

Germany’s Bundeskartellamt backed a joint statement by six national competition authorities reaffirming the need for strict competition enforcement, even amid calls to ease merger rules to boost EU competitiveness — particularly in telecoms. While recognising that mergers can support company growth, the BKartA stressed the importance of assessing impacts on market competition across all sectors. The debate, reignited by a recent Financial Times article, shows telecoms firms continue to press for more lenient treatment, but authorities are holding firm. 

The European Commission publishes outcome document of the conference on the governance of web.4.0  

The Global Multistakeholder High-Level Conference on Governance for Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds set forth critical principles to ensure an open, secure, and inclusive digital future. The document emphasizes the need for multistakeholder governance in managing transformative technologies such as AI, XR, IoT, and blockchain. Key policy goals include protecting human rights, privacy, and accessibility, while encouraging fair competition and preventing digital monopolies. Technically, it highlights the importance of maintaining a global, distributed internet architecture and evolving core protocols like IPv6 to meet increasing demands. The document stresses the urgency of adopting security standards such as RPKI to safeguard internet infrastructure and prevent fragmentation. Sustainability, interoperability, and privacy-by-design are also central tenets. The recommendations call for stronger global coordination, anticipatory governance via sandbox environments, and equitable participation, especially from underrepresented groups, to build a trustworthy, resilient Web 4.0. 

European Single Market Strategy leak reveals plans to remove internal barriers and boosting services  

According to a draft of the European Commission’s upcoming Single Market Strategy, planned to be released on 21 May, the institution asks EU governments to appoint dedicated officials to identify and address the problems and obstacles that prevent the EU’s single market from functioning smoothly. 

“While the world is plunging into a period of economic uncertainty caused by trade tensions, our European market is a safe haven,” the draft document reads. It calls on EU governments to take joint ownership of the single market and make it a political priority by appointing officials, or “sherpas,” within national prime ministers’ or presidents’ offices “with authority towards all parts of the government.” 

European Commission’s International Digital Strategy leaked 

This new strategy, expected to be presented on 4 June, will lay out how the EU should work with other regions to protect its own assets and speed up innovation. The document suggests the EU to develop further cooperation with Japan on chips, quantum computing, AI safety and 6G, besides enhancing the international cooperation between digital regulators. On this in particular, the plan is to establish by 2030 two forums of digital regulators, hosted by the EU, on digital services and digital markets. The Strategy mentions the promotion of trusted digital networks and infrastructures as well as developing submarine and terrestrial cables. International coordination on cyber resilience, law enforcement and anti-money laundering efforts are also mentioned, together with continuing the protection of an inclusive multistakeholder approach to Internet Governance by opposing initiatives of state-controlled Internet architectures; here the upcoming editions of the IGF and WSIS+20 are mentioned as critical in proactively defending the general availability and integrity of the Internet. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

EuroStack report outlines next steps 

“Buy European”, “Sell European”, “Fund European”: this is what the new report out today, 7 May, reiterates to European policymakers. Tech experts and economists behind the EuroStack initiative reinforce their asks to the EU to drastically reduce dependence on U.S. technology. In an open letter to the Commission accompanying the report, they suggest that “European governments and institutions spending public money should have an obligation to invest in Europe’s economic future,” besides reminding the urgency of the actions to be taken for this effort to be successful. The letter directly references ongoing and upcoming initiatives such as the European Commission’s plan for European digital strategic autonomy and the European Parliament’s own-initiative report on digital sovereignty. 

Italy and the U.S. issue joint statement on “discriminatory” digital services taxes 

On April 18, the two countries issued a joint statement opposing “discriminatory” taxes on digital services after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Trump in DC. This adds Italy to the list of EU countries dissenting from the threat to tax digital services if trade talks with the United States collapse. 

The joint statement also mentions that “President Trump accepted Prime Minister Meloni’s invitation to pay an official visit to Italy in the very near future. There is also consideration to hold, on such occasion, a meeting between U.S. and Europe.” 

Germany and Ireland have already been vocal against this potential digital services tax, while France has been favourable to this solution.  

March and early April have seen significant movement in the EU’s push for digital sovereignty, as tensions with the U.S. escalate over trade and tech policy. The EU is ramping up efforts to reduce its reliance on American tech giants, with proposals for a digital services tax to fund a European “sovereignty fund” aimed at building alternatives to U.S. platforms. The Commission is also exploring consolidating data legislation to simplify regulations and foster innovation. Meanwhile, calls for investing in European cloud infrastructure, AI, and semiconductor production are gaining traction, reflecting a broader strategy to strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy. As you will read further in this edition, these developments signal an intensifying debate and growing momentum for reshaping EU digital policy in the face of shifting global dynamics. 

ONLINE CONTENT 

Commission reassures about the ongoing data collection on the Recommendation on combating online piracy of sports and other live events  

During a meeting at the European Parliament, Sabina Tsakova, Deputy Head of the Copyright Unit in DG CNECT, provided insights regarding the monitoring of the 2023 Recommendation on combating online piracy of sports and other live events, whose assessment is expected by 17 November 2025. 

The Commission is looking at how unauthorised retransmission has evolved, what is the volume within the Member States, whether there a prompt treatment of notices by the different market players, the use of dynamic injunctions and the availability and awareness raising of the legal offer.  

There will be a second data collection exercise in the next months that will cover the beginning of 2025. The dedicated network of national authorities under the EUIPO Observatory will also convene a third meeting at the end of April.  

Representatives of EuroISPA Board will attend in person the EUIPO Conference in Alicante on 30 April. 

Latest reports under DSA Code of Conduct on Disinformation were released 

The latest reports from the signatories of the Code of Conduct on Disinformation have been published at the end of March. These detail the signatories’ actions taken under the code to combat the spread of disinformation online and their responses to ongoing crises such as the war in Ukraine and the Hamas-Israel conflict, as well as the measures they took to ensure the integrity of elections, including in the context of the Romanian presidential elections. The Code of Conduct will serve as a relevant benchmark for determining DSA compliance under Article 35 from 1 July 2025, following the entry into effect of its conversion in the DSA.  

The Commission promises not to duplicate the DSA in the DFA to protect minors  

Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou, Head of Unit in DG JUST, assured the European Parliament at the beginning of April that the future Digital Fairness Act (DFA) will extend its rules for the protection of minors to other online services, since platforms are already tackled by the DSA. Besides protection of minors, the Commission is also considering new rules on influencer marketing. Prabhat Agarwal, the Head of Unit at DG CNECT responsible for implementing the DSA, emphasized the importance of upcoming “soft law,” particularly the guidelines on the protection of minors expected by the summer. 

The steering group dedicated to the future Digital Fairness Act is expected to be formalised in the coming weeks, while the public consultation is due to be launched at the end of May, around the annual consumer summit scheduled for 20 May. The proposal is expected in mid-2026. 

CSAM Proposal Shifts Further Toward Voluntary Detection 

EU governments are reviewing a revised draft of the CSAM regulation that reinforces a voluntary-only approach to detection, dropping the controversial mandatory scanning obligations. The updated text, dated April 4, clarifies that providers like WhatsApp and Signal are not required to scan for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with detection possible only if done voluntarily. It also safeguards end-to-end encryption, stating the regulation cannot be used to weaken or bypass it. The new draft removes risk categorization requirements to cut administrative burden and streamlines enforcement by relying on existing national rules. It retains the Commission’s review clause to assess the feasibility of mandatory detection after three years, including an evaluation of detection technologies and false positive risks. The updated compromise marks a continued stalemate in Council, despite the European Parliament having finalised its position back in 2023. 

DATA ECONOMY 

Commission presents the Continent AI Action Plan and launches two public consultations 

On 9 April, the European Commission presented its ‘AI Continent Action Plan’ aiming at promoting initiatives around five key areas: Computing infrastructure, Data, Development of algorithms and fostering AI adoption, Skills, Regulatory simplification.  

Alongside the release of the strategy, the EC launched two public consultations on the AI Apply Strategy (deadline: 4 June) and the Cloud and AI Development Act (deadline: 4 June). On the latter, the issues to be tackled are, among others, the unfavourable conditions for the private sector to close the available data centre capacity gap in a way that prioritises highly sustainable solutions and the lack of a competitive EU-based offer of cloud computing services at sufficient scale to serve highly critical use cases with particularly high security needs. 

The Commission is considering five possible policy options, among which non-legislative, soft regulation and regulation. The initiative is expected to land in Q4 2025 / Q1 2026. 

Moreover, a Call for expression of interest on AI Gigafactories (deadline: 20 June) was released. 

EU Democracy Shield consultation opens 

The consultation on the Democracy Shield initiative opened on March 31 (deadline: 16 May). The shield will include measures to fight disinformation, foreign interference and to promote integrity of elections, societal resilience and citizens’ participation to democratic processes.  

During an exchange of views with the dedicated committee in the European Parliament, Commissioner McGrath did not exclude that the findings and recommendations present in the Shield (expected in the third quarter of 2025) will lead to a legislative proposal. 

CYBERSECURITY & INFRASTRUCTURE 

Sovereignty Push Reshapes EUCS Debate 

Momentum is building within the EU toward embedding sovereignty considerations into the EU Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for cloud services (EUCS), as political winds shift in favour of limiting reliance on non-European providers. The European Commission’s new internal security strategy hints at supporting “Europe-only” preferences, encouraging critical sectors to weigh not just technical but also strategic risks and dependencies when choosing cloud services — a nod to long-standing calls from France and others to restrict hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google from the most sensitive sectors. 

Meanwhile, the launch of the Commission’s consultation (deadline: 4 June) on the upcoming Cloud and AI Development Act reinforces this trend, directly questioning the influence of third-country tech providers and risks of vendor lock-in. National governments are also pivoting: the Netherlands, historically U.S.-cloud friendly, has now committed to building a sovereign government cloud by 2028, citing the need to safeguard sensitive data and digital continuity amid geopolitical uncertainty. With these developments, pressure mounts on the Commission to break the EUCS deadlock and favour sovereignty-aligned certification requirements. 

EU cable stakeholders urge for subsea infrastructure security 

Telecom operators and subsea cable stakeholders, including Orange, Telefónica, Telenor, Vodafone and more, have called on the EU, UK and NATO to enhance coordination on protecting subsea infrastructure, warning that rising hybrid threats pose significant risks to Europe’s digital resilience, economic stability and defense preparedness. In an open letter, the group endorsed the EU’s Action Plan on Cable Security but stressed the need for stronger public-private cooperation, increased funding, and faster implementation of protective measures. 

Commission announces upcoming International Digital Strategy 

The European Commission has announced an upcoming consultation on the International Digital Strategy with an adoption planned for the Second Quarter of 2025. To be titled “Strengthening the EU’s leadership in Global Digital Affairs”, should be issued on 6 May in the form of a non-legislative initiative. The paper will explain how reinforcing the EU’s security, tech sovereignty, democracy and competitiveness require efforts both in internal markets and with international partners. While the exact scope of the strategy remains unclear, it is expected to cover internet governance and cybersecurity. However, the level of emphasis on internet governance remains uncertain: there are concerns that it may receive limited attention, as questions such as the WSIS+20 review and the IGF mandate have yet to be clarified. 

Commission announces the 5GMEC4EU project driving 5G and edge computing 

Funded under the CEF Digital programme, the 5GMEC4EU is a Coordination and Support Action that will contribute to building a cohesive European 5G ecosystem. The action will integrate Multi-access Edge Computing into 5G Smart Communities and 5G Transport Corridors to ensure service continuity, cross-border seamless connectivity and open standards. 

D9+ Ministerial Declaration on digital technology and connectivity 

Following the D9+ Ministerial Meeting that took place in Amsterdam on 26-27 March, a leak of the Ministerial draft declaration calls the EU to ‘increase its digital competitiveness and tech sovereignty in an open manner’ through increased private investments and public-private partnerships. The declaration highlights a strategic approach to key technologies like AI, cloud and connectivity, while simplifying EU rules to foster innovation. 

The D9+ group includes the Ministers of the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Belgium and Finland, yet the draft doesn’t detail which countries are to sign up to the final declaration. 

Commission opens the Cybersecurity Act consultation  

As mentioned last month, the Commission has now opened the consultation on the Cybersecurity Act. The initiative will revise the Cybersecurity Act, clarify the mandate of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and improve the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework to achieve better resilience. The initiative also aims to streamline, simplify and supplement EU legislation to make the implementation of the EU cybersecurity framework more user and business friendly and to prioritise measures to support the EU objectives of developing a secure and resilient supply chain, including the EU cybersecurity industrial base. The feedback on the draft regulation is open until 20 June 2025. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

EU-US Trade Tensions: Digital Tax and Sovereign Tech Push 

April marked a significant chapter in the EU-US trade tensions, starting with former President Trump’s announcement of a 20 percent tariff on all EU goods, which was later dialled back to 10 percent after market reactions. In response, the European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, paused retaliatory measures to allow for negotiations, but tensions remained high. The EU’s countermeasures are expected to target the tech sector, where Europe holds substantial leverage over the U.S. Amid these developments, the French government proposed stricter regulations on U.S. tech firms’ data handling and even floated the idea of taxing digital services, though opposition emerged, particularly from Ireland. 

In parallel, EU efforts to reduce reliance on U.S. technology gained momentum, with proposals for increasing local cloud infrastructure, semiconductor production, and AI development. This includes revisiting the “fair share” concept, which would require major tech providers to contribute to network rollout costs. As part of this push, the EU is also exploring digital taxation options, with discussions around a European Digital Sovereignty Fund that could fund initiatives to reduce dependency on U.S. firms. The Digital Networks Act, currently under discussion, may offer a renewed opportunity for this proposal. Meanwhile, the European Parliament continues to engage in high-level talks in Washington, signalling that despite the tensions, transatlantic cooperation remains ongoing. 

European Socialists present plan on a Gafam tax 

On April 10 the S&D group presented their plan to fight ‘tech oligarchs’. The S&D proposes six actions to ‘protect Europeans online’, which are intended to serve as the basis for an agreement with other pro-European groups. Among these actions, they propose a new tax on digital services, intended to feed the Commission’s own resources, and ultimately a European “tech sovereignty fund.” This fund is to be used to build infrastructure “rooted in European values,” ranging from decentralized social networks to cloud services. This vision appears to be compatible with that of EuroStack, according to MEP Alex Agius Saliba. This tax, which is to resume work abandoned several years ago in Brussels, could apply to both consumer services (advertising and social networks) and business services. “It’s the right political moment” to revisit it, in the face of the Trump administration”, believes Alex Agius Saliba, who also plans to favor European players in public procurement.  

Berlin joins the Digital Sovereignty club  

The Christian Democrats of future Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Social Democratic coalition partners reached a programmatic agreement on April 9. Its digital component emphasises regulatory simplification and, in a sign of the times, digital sovereignty, a topic that is usually not very popular in Germany, reports Contexte.