Privacy, plurality, prosperity: designing a workable Digital Omnibus

Maintaining a vibrant and independent media landscape is fundamental to Europe’s democratic fabric and economic resilience. However, as the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus moves forward, particularly provisions on “centralised consent”, there is a need to ensure these safeguards are implemented in a way that remains workable for the entire digital ecosystem, from consumers to news publishers, content creators to European businesses.  

The challenge is to strike the right balance between empowering users and sustaining a competitive digital ecosystem. Efforts to simplify consent models should also take into account their impact on how online services are funded and delivered.  

Many digital services, particularly in publishing and across the SME landscape, rely on advertising to remain widely accessible to citizens. Changes to how consent is structured could therefore influence how content is financed and the diversity of Europe’s information ecosystem. 

This raises a broader policy question: how can Europe design user-centric privacy frameworks that reflect citizens’ expectations and preserve open access to information, innovation and competition? How can principles such as privacy and safety by design be implemented in ways that are both effective and workable across the digital ecosystem?  

Ensuring that these objectives evolve together will be an important factor for maintaining a strong and pluralistic digital environment. The goal is to explore how Europe can deliver high-level privacy protections while fostering a competitive environment that supports SME growth and sustains a diverse European media landscape. 

Underpinning the discussion, Friends of Europe’s citizen engagement unit, Debating Europe, will unveil a new survey detailing public expectations around the Digital Omnibus across five European countries: Ireland, Poland, France, Germany and Italy. These exclusive insights will anchor a multidisciplinary dinner-debate among policymakers, civil society and industry experts to forge a pragmatic, forward-looking exchange on the policy considerations ahead.  

Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram and join the #FoEDebate discussion!

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