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European People’s Party (EPP) Group Hearing on the Digital Omnibus

On 1 July, Privacy Next attended a Group Hearing on the Digital Omnibus, under the title “Simplifying European Digital Rules”. The Hearing was hosted by the European People’s Party (EPP).

The hearing addressed key issues around data consolidation, cybersecurity, and modernising privacy for the AI era. Discussion revealed that the debate is ultimately about how the EU defines and governs personal data in a data-driven economy. Speakers argued that the Commission’s simplification agenda will succeed only if it addresses legal uncertainty surrounding personal, pseudonymised, and non-personal data.

A recurring theme was that the current interpretation of personal data extends GDPR obligations beyond situations where individuals face meaningful privacy risks. It was discussed that pseudonymisation should be recognised as a stronger technical safeguard rather than as merely different from identifiable data. If organisations implement robust technical controls and retain identifying keys separately, in line with the CJEU’s judgment in the SRB case, organisations and regulators could focus on the protections in place rather than on extensive contractual arrangements in the data ecosystem.

Scientific research and AI were central, with health and medtech stakeholders noting that uncertainty around data identifiability and legal bases often delays collaborations. Speakers argued that clearer recognition of pseudonymised data and more enabling rules for health data use could reduce friction, support AI development, and strengthen European competitiveness while maintaining robust privacy protections.