Digital Omnibus: EDPB and EDPS support simplification and competitiveness while raising key concerns

11 February 2026

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) have adopted a Joint Opinion on the Digital Omnibus Regulation proposal. This proposal aims to simplify the EU's digital regulatory framework, reduce administrative burden and enhance the competitiveness of European organisations.

The EDPB and the EDPS focus on the aspects concerning the GDPR, the EUDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, and the Data Acquis. More specifically, they assess whether the proposal 1) leads to real simplification and facilitates compliance, 2) brings more legal certainty and 3) affects individuals’ fundamental rights.

Changes to the GDPR and the EUDPR

Changes raising significant concerns

Some proposed changes raise significant concerns as they can adversely affect the level of protection enjoyed by individuals, create legal uncertainty and make data protection law more difficult to apply.

The EDPB and the EDPS strongly urge the co-legislators not to adopt the proposed changes to the definition of personal data as they go far beyond a targeted or technical amendment of the GDPR. In addition, they do not accurately reflect and clearly go beyond the CJEU jurisprudence, and they would result in significantly narrowing the concept of personal data.

The European Commission should not be entrusted to decide by an implementing act what is no longer personal data after pseudonymisation as it directly affects the scope of application of EU data protection law.

“Simplification is essential to cut red tape and strengthen EU competitiveness — but not at the expense of fundamental rights. We welcome the Commission’s steps toward greater harmonisation, consistency, and legal certainty. However, we strongly urge the co-legislators not to adopt the proposed changes in the definition of personal data, as they risk significantly weakening individual data protection,” said EDPB Chair, Anu Talus

“We strongly urge the co-legislators not to adopt the proposed changes to the definition of personal data. These changes are not in line with the Court’s case law and would significantly narrow the concept of personal data. We must make sure that any changes to the GDPR and EUDPR actually clarify obligations and bring legal certainty while maintaining trust and a high level of protection of individual rights and freedoms," said European Data Protection Supervisor, Wojciech Wiewiórowski.