Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Telecommunications), 5 December 2025

Main results

European competitiveness in the digital decade

At our Council meeting today, we had a frank exchange on the potential impact cyber-attacks can have on the daily life of citizens and how to build resilience. Exchanges like these are essential for our common resilience, building further on each other’s experience in mitigating these crises.

Torsten Schack Pedersen, Danish Minister for Resilience and Preparedness

Ministers adopted Council conclusions on European competitiveness in the digital decade. The conclusions are structured around 5 key messages:

• Strengthening European competitiveness with the digital decade as a strategic compass for a sovereign digital transformation
• Digitalisation, data and AI as key drivers for competitiveness
• An effective, simplified and coordinated regulatory framework
• Fostering innovation and uptake of digital technologies
• Reinforcing digital sovereignty in an open manner

The conclusions reaffirm that boosting the EU’s global competitiveness while safeguarding fundamental rights and EU values remains a core strategic objective. This will drive innovation, productivity, welfare, sustainable growth and economic security. Strengthening the EU’s digital sovereignty should be coherent, effective and bold, yet risk-based and open.

They note that the EU is currently not on track to meet its 2030 digital decade targets and urge therefore accelerated action at all levels. Developing and adopting digital tools is essential, as well as strengthening digital skills and talent. The conclusions stress the need to build the capacity to develop, manage, protect and understand new technologies.

A simple, clear and predictable regulatory framework is key to enabling innovation and competition. The text also highlights the crucial role of SMEs and start-ups in Europe’s digital competitiveness and calls for stronger development, testing, scaling and uptake of digital tools across sectors.

The conclusions welcome upcoming Commission proposals, including the EU cloud and AI development act, to improve access to data centres and cloud capacity. Finally, they ask the Commission to assess whether the current digital decade targets remain fit for purpose and, if needed, propose concrete, realistic and user-centric updates based on technological neutrality.

• Conclusions on European Competitiveness in the Digital Decade, 5 December 2025

Simplification and digitalisation: reducing burdens for businesses in the digital domain

Ministers held an exchange of views on the issue of simplification and digitalisation. This discussion follows a series of initiatives in the digital domain focussing on simplification and the use of digital tools to reduce administrative burdens, such as the recently published digital package, including the digital omnibus, the European business wallet proposal or the European data union strategy.

Ministers stressed that simplification in the digital field should focus on reducing regulatory burdens for businesses, SMEs and public authorities. Member states welcomed the proposal for a digital omnibus, seeing it as key to streamline regulations, cut administrative cost and to harmonise the legal framework.

The Council indicated that the goal should be to simplify the implementation of the current legislation, especially for start-ups that may struggle with complex rules, without rolling back essential protection with regards to for example data privacy and respect for fundamental rights.

Ministers also indicated that simplification should not lead to deregulation. Ensuring legal certainty, avoiding regulatory fragmentation and addressing unnecessary duplication in reporting were amongst the topics named. The Council emphasized the need for the regulatory landscape to be more predictable and consistent, so to ensure competitiveness and boost innovation.

Enforcement of the digital services act on online platforms and e-commerce

Ministers held a discussion on the enforcement of the digital services act (DSA) on online platforms and e-commerce.

In recent years, the rapid expansion of online platforms and cross-border e-commerce has significantly reshaped the functioning of the single market. Online marketplaces are now an important way of buying goods for consumers, including minors, with an increasing share of these goods being supplied by sellers outside of the EU.

Online marketplaces create opportunities but also pose challenges for the regulatory framework and its enforcement. Recently authorities of several member states discovered availability of material of child sexual abuse, category A weapons or prescription-only drugs on multiple of these platforms.

Given the cross-border nature of e-commerce and the rapid dissemination of illegal content and unsafe products across the EU, a coordinated EU response is needed.

Currently, the DSA already sets out obligations for these very large online platforms, which include risk assessments or the vetting of vendors. However, these recent examples suggest that enforcement of the obligations under the DSA remains insufficiently effective.

Ministers stressed the importance of ensuring that all online marketplaces comply with EU rules, especially concerning product safety, consumer protection and the sale of illicit goods.

The Council also highlighted that the current existing rules need to be fully implemented, with the DSA being the solid regulatory foundation. Stronger coordination between authorities and collaboration between member states are seen as crucial steps to tackle the challenges posed by online marketplaces.

Finally, on enforcement, member states indicated that it needs to be consistent, risk-based to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field. Member states also called for more robust enforcement mechanisms, with greater coordination between all stakeholders involved.

Cyber attacks and their impact on daily life of citizens

Over lunch, ministers held a discussion entitled ‘When cyber gets real: building broader resilience to cyberattacks’, during which they exchanged views on how to incorporate cyber security in the further digital transformation, supporting the competitiveness of the Union, and how to build broader resilience against to cyberattacks and the impact they have on the daily life of citizens.

Any other business

Under any other business, ministers addressed the following topics:

• Information from the presidency (all in public session, apart from the item on the cybersecurity reserve on Moldova):
• European business wallet
• Decisions on accession of Ukraine and Moldova to roam-like-at-home (RLAH) and state-of-play on Western Balkans
• Outcomes of discussions during the informal meeting of telecommunications ministers (public session)
• Council implementing decision authorising support from the EU cybersecurity reserve for Moldova
• The first exercise of the Cyber blueprint exercise
• Information item from the Commission on international initiatives in the digital field (public session)
• Information item from Lithuania on global satellite navigation systems (GNSS) jamming and spoofing (public session)
• Information from Portugal on financing for the Single Digital regulator.
• Information from Austria on the Declaration on European Digital Sovereignty
• Information from Germany and France on the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty
• Information from the Commission on how telecommunication technologies and infrastructures could be leveraged to enhance the detection capacity of drones (non-public)
• Presentation of the work programme of the incoming Cyprus presidency (non-public)

• Watch the morning public session
• Watch the afternoon public session
• Watch the press conference