The European Union (EU) aims to be a global leader in digital innovation and regulation. Its ambition—to build a digital economy that safeguards rights, fosters trust, and fuels competitiveness—is both commendable and essential for Europe’s long-term resilience and prosperity.

Yet, Europe’s digital landscape has grown increasingly complex. The rapid succession of horizontal and sectoral digital laws—from the Data Act and AI Act to NIS2, DORA, and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)—has created a dense and often fragmented web of obligations. The result is a regulatory architecture that, while well-intentioned, could risk undermining innovation, competitiveness, and investment due to overlapping, inconsistent, and sometimes contradictory, requirements.

To deliver on its Simpler and Faster Europe agenda, the Commission must focus on practical simplification that enables compliance, coherence, and innovation—especially for SMEs and mid-cap firms driving Europe’s digital transformation.

BSA offer recommendations for legislative simplification and build on the Commission’s Digital Omnibus initiative and the forthcoming Digital Fitness Check. They are structured around five pillars:

1. Ensuring cross-legislation consistency and coherence;
2. Reducing overlaps and compliance duplication;
3. Strengthening proportionality and differentiation;
4. Fostering a culture of co-regulation and dialogue; and
5. Sector-Specific Simplification Priorities.