Beyond simplification : the EU's quest for digital autonomy

Abstract

In November 2025, the European Commission published the Digital Omnibus proposal, which constitutes a legislative initiative aimed at refining the Union's digital architecture. The proposal mandates substantial revisions to foundational data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity frameworks and facilitates critical updates to the AI Act, reflecting an evolving regulatory stance toward automated systems. While the package purports to streamline existing mandates, it notably omits a dedicated framework for technological sovereignty. This omission is particularly significant given the current geopolitical shifts, where the EU’s strategic autonomy and digital resilience are increasingly predicated on reducing systemic dependencies, a pressing concern that remains unaddressed by these specific legislative updates.