The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has welcomed the European Commission’s proposals to simplify the EU’s digital rulebook, stressing that simplification must strengthen competitiveness without weakening fundamental rights, social standards or legal certainty.

In its opinion on the Digital and AI Omnibus, the EESC underlined that cutting red tape can bring immediate relief to businesses, administrations and citizens, but warned against lowering existing safeguards, particularly those enshrined in the GDPR and the AI Act.

'Companies, workers and consumers need clear, coherent rules that reduce compliance risks and administrative burdens, without lowering standards in substance,' said rapporteur Heiko Willems. He added that fragmentation, duplicative requirements and unclear definitions continue to hamper innovation and growth.

A key priority is to clarify and harmonise core definitions across EU digital legislation, including personal data, data holder and placing on the market, in order to reduce legal uncertainty.

The EESC also called for clearer rules on anonymised and pseudonymised data to support innovation, while ensuring strong protection of personal data and respect for data minimisation principles. It emphasised the importance of ensuring access to personal data for legitimate purposes, such as protecting workers’ rights and health and safety.

On the AI Omnibus, the EESC reaffirmed its support for a risk-based and proportionate approach that enables innovation while safeguarding fundamental and workers’ rights.

Co-rapporteur Angelo Pagliara stressed the importance of involving workers’ representatives whenever AI is introduced in the workplace, ensuring full respect for consultation rights and robust oversight.

The EESC also welcomed plans to reduce administrative burden through a genuinely interoperable EU single entry point for reporting obligations under NIS2, GDPR, DORA, eIDAS and CER. Such a system would allow companies to reuse information, submit reports in English and benefit from streamlined procedures, easing compliance while strengthening cybersecurity and resilience.

Finally, the EESC recognised the need to ensure a simplified regulatory framework for SMEs and small mid-caps, while at the same time stressing that such simplified regimes must apply only to genuinely independent companies, in line with EU definitions, to prevent misuse. (ll)