Timeline - Digital Services Package

Mikuláš Bek, Czech Minister for EU Affairs, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, signed the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The DSA aims to protect the digital space against the spread of illegal content, and to ensure the protection of users’ fundamental rights. It follows the principle that what is illegal offline must also be illegal online and will apply to all online intermediaries providing services in the EU.

The Council gave its final approval to the Digital Services Act (DSA). As a world first in the field of digital regulation, the DSA is set to create a safer online environment. No other legislative act has this level of ambition as regards regulating platforms and online supervision while preserving the core principles of the internal market.

The DSA protects the digital space against the dissemination of illegal content and ensures the protection of users’ fundamental rights. It defines clear responsibilities and accountability for providers of intermediary services, such as social media, online marketplaces, online platforms and search engines.

• DSA: Council gives final approval to the protection of users' rights online (press release, 4 October 2022)

Mikuláš Bek, Czech EU affairs minister, and Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, signed the Digital Markets Act.

The DMA proposal aims to ensure a competitive and fair digital sector with a view to promoting innovation, high-quality digital products and services, fair prices, and high quality and choice in the digital sector.

The proposal is targeted at large online platforms, so-called ‘gatekeepers’, that control core platform services such as marketplaces, app stores, online search engines, social networking and more.

The Council gave its final approval on new rules for a fair and competitive digital sector through the Digital Markets Act (DMA).  

The DMA creates a level digital playing field with clear rights and rules for large online platforms (‘gatekeepers’) to make sure that none of them abuses their position. Regulating the digital market at EU level will ensure a fair and competitive digital sector, so that companies and consumers will all benefit from digital opportunities.

• DMA: Council gives final approval to new rules for fair competition online (press release, 18 July 2022)

The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA aims to keep the digital space safe from illegal goods, content and services, and to protect fundamental rights online.  

The DSA applies to online businesses providing services in the EU from anywhere in the world. The rules vary depending on the societal impact, service and size of the intermediary concerned.

• Digital Services Act: Council and European Parliament provisional agreement for making the internet a safer space for European citizens (press release, 23 April 2022)

The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to make the digital sector fairer and more competitive. 

The DMA defines clear rules for large online platforms. It aims to ensure that no large online platform that acts as a ‘gatekeeper’ for a large number of users abuses its position to the detriment of companies wishing to access such users. 

• Digital Markets Act (DMA): agreement between the Council and the European Parliament (press release, 24 March 2022)

The Council has agreed on a general approach for the Digital Services Act (DSA), a key digital file aimed at creating a safe and open digital space for EU citizens by addressing challenges such as the spread of counterfeit goods, cyber threats and disinformation.

The main aim of the proposed DSA is to keep internet users safe from illegal goods, content or services, and to protect their fundamental rights online. The DSA sets out to expand and clarify a common set of responsibilities for online businesses providing services in the EU, following the principle that what is illegal offline should also be illegal online

• What is illegal offline should be illegal online: Council agrees on position on the digital services act (press release, 25 November 2021)

The Council has agreed on a general approach for the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a key file aiming to regulate big tech and creating a level playing field for EU businesses.

The DMA proposal aims to ensure a competitive and fair digital sector with a view to promoting innovation, high-quality digital products and services, fair prices, and high quality and choice in the digital sector. The proposal is targeted at large online platforms, so-called ‘gatekeepers’, that control core platform services such as marketplaces, app stores, online search engines, social networking and more.

• Regulating 'big tech': Council agrees on enhancing competition in the digital sphere (press release, 25 November 2021)

During the European Council, EU leaders emphasised the importance the digital transformation has for economic growth, job creation and competitiveness and stressed the need for inclusive and sustainable digital policies, with a special focus for digital skills and education.

EU leaders called for a swift examination of the European Commission's policy programme 'Path to the Digital Decade', and encouraged the Council and the European Parliament to reach an ambitious agreement on the roaming regulation, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Market Act as soon as possible. They also reviewed progress on key legislative files for sectoral data spaces, artificial intelligence, a European digital identity framework, and a European microchip ecosystem.

On cybersecurity matters, EU leaders addressed the marked increase in malicious cyber activities aimed at undermining democratic values, and reaffirmed the EU's commitment to an open, free, stable and secure cyberspace. With that in mind, they called for work to be taken forward on the proposals for the revised directive on security of network and information systems, the directive on the resilience of critical entities and the cyber diplomacy toolbox.

• European Council conclusions 21-22 October 2021

On the basis of a presidency note, ministers had a first policy debate on the aspects of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act that they deem necessary to guarantee the strengthening of the digital single market and a safer online space, where fundamental rights are protected and competition is fair and free.

They stressed the need for clear, future-proof and proportionate rules, that guarantee the right mix of legal certainty and flexibility and foster innovation and competition in the EU’s digital single market. Efficient enforcement mechanisms at EU level, with the involvement of relevant national authorities, were mentioned as key to the success of the project.

• Competitiveness Council, 27-28 May 2021

EU leaders discussed the digital transformation at the Special European Council meeting which took place on 1-2 October 2020.

EU leaders said they look forward to the Commissionʼs proposal for a Digital Services Act by the end of 2020. They also invited the Commission to present, by March 2021, a comprehensive Digital Compass which sets out the EUʼs concrete digital ambitions for 2030. EU leaders agreed that at least 20% of the funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility would be made available for the digital transition, including for SMEs. Together with the amounts under the long-term EU budget, these funds should help to advance objectives such as:

• fostering European development of the next generation of digital technologies, including supercomputers, quantum computing, blockchain etc.
• developing capacities in strategic digital value chains, especially microprocessors
• speeding up the deployment of high capacity and secure network infrastructure, including fibre and 5G
• enhancing the EUʼs ability to protect itself against cyber threats
• making use of digital technologies to achieve the EU's ambitious environmental goals
• upgrading digital capacities in education systems

The COVID-19 pandemic has further underlined the need to accelerate the digital transition in Europe. (…) Building a truly digital Single Market will provide a home-based framework allowing European companies to grow and scale up. European Council conclusions

• Special European Council, 1-2 October 2020