Here are some of the latest developments related to regulatory sandboxes in 18 European countries plus the UK:

Data protection authorities (DPAs) in Denmark and Sweden will be involved in new sandboxes:

• The Danish DPA will establish a sandbox to give both the industry and public authorities expertise on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when they develop or use AI solutions.
• The Swedish DPA will participate in a pilot sandbox to help prepare the public sector for the upcoming requirements of the AI Act.

Further, the UK Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum launched the “AI and Digital Hub”. This service, involving several regulators, enables organisations to show that their AI innovations comply with different regulatory requirements.

Regulatory sandboxes provide a real world, controlled environment that enable the testing of innovative technologies over a limited time and based on a plan agreed with competent authorities. Sandboxes typically allow for different degrees of regulatory relief (e.g. not being subject to certain rules) for their beneficiaries during the operation of the sandbox.

Our benchmark shows that regulatory sandboxes in the covered areas are still nascent in Europe, as most of the 17 surveyed countries have not implemented any. Denmark, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK have set up regulatory sandboxes managed by different authorities.

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