EU Digital Markets Act: broadcasters call for operating systems of connected TVs and virtual assistants to be designated as gatekeepers
06 July 26
Miljana Todorovic
Commercial and public service broadcasters have called on the European Commission to designate certain providers of operating systems for connected TVs and virtual assistants as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act.
EU Digital & Media Weekly Report
06 July 26
Javier Huerta Bravo
This edition covers the adoption of the AI Omnibus; a Council proposal to reinstate rules on voluntary detection of child sexual abuse online by messaging apps; a European Parliament (EP) draft report proposing amendments to the Digital Omnibus proposal; discussions held during Cullen International's 40th anniversary conference on challenges in implementing the AI Act and the possibility of introducing an EU-wide social media ban; the Commission's preliminary findings on the potential designation of Amazon and Microsoft as gatekeepers in relation to their cloud services under the Digital Markets Act; and the adoption of an EP committee report proposing changes to improve the European Democracy Shield. It also lists an event taking place this week.
Regulators from different continents debate “innovation and competition” in the digital world
02 July 26
Elena Scaramuzzi
On the occasion of Cullen International’s 40th anniversary conference in Brussels on 23 June 2026, representatives from authorities of Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, the EU, and Japan discussed how competition policy in communications and digital markets can support innovation and consumer welfare. The panel addressed the theme from different angles, from merger control to the interplay between ex ante and ex post frameworks to address competition concerns in digital sectors.
Regulators from different continents debate “innovation and competition” in the digital world
02 July 26
Elena Scaramuzzi
On the occasion of Cullen International’s 40th anniversary conference in Brussels on 23 June 2026, representatives from authorities of Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, the EU, and Japan discussed how competition policy in communications and digital markets can support innovation and consumer welfare. The panel addressed the theme from different angles, from merger control to the interplay between ex ante and ex post frameworks to address competition concerns in digital sectors.
Digital Omnibus: European Parliament co-rapporteurs propose targeted GDPR changes while deferring some other key issues
02 July 26
Marianna Mattera
The European Parliament's co-rapporteurs published their draft report on the Digital Omnibus proposal, introducing targeted amendments to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including clarifications on biometric verification, automated decision-making, and data protection impact assessments. However, the draft report sets aside some key GDPR and e-Privacy issues, including the definition of personal data and the rules on cookies.
EU Digital Markets Act: Commission preliminarily finds Amazon and Microsoft to be gatekeepers for cloud services
02 July 26
Miljana Todorovic
The European Commission preliminarily found that Amazon’s and Microsoft’s cloud services, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure respectively, constitute an important gateway for business users to reach end users under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). If the preliminary findings are confirmed, the Commission will designate Amazon and Microsoft as gatekeepers in relation to those services. The companies would then have six months to ensure that their cloud services comply with the DMA obligations.