EU Digital Omnibus Explained: What the Commission Proposes for AI, Data and Cookies

Changes to the AI Act

The Commission proposes linking the start of the AI Act's rules for high-risk AI systems to the availability of support tools, including the necessary standards. The timeline would be adjusted by a maximum of 16 months, with the rules applying once the Commission confirms that standards and support tools are available. Other proposed amendments would extend certain simplifications for small and medium-sized enterprises to small mid-cap companies, broaden the use of regulatory sandboxes, including an EU-level sandbox from 2028, and centralise oversight of AI systems built on general-purpose AI models in the AI Office.

Cybersecurity, privacy and cookies

The EU digital omnibus would create a single entry point through which companies can meet incident reporting obligations under laws including the NIS2 Directive, the GDPR and the Digital Operational Resilience Act. Targeted GDPR amendments aim to harmonise and clarify certain rules while, in the Commission's words, keeping the core of the regulation intact. Changes to cookie rules would reduce how often banners appear and allow users to give consent with one click and save preferences through browser settings.

Data rules

EU data rules would be consolidated through the Data Act, merging four pieces of legislation into one. Small and mid-cap companies would gain targeted exemptions from some cloud-switching rules, which the Commission estimates would bring around €1.5 billion in one-off savings, and new model contractual terms and standard contractual clauses for cloud contracts accompany the package.

What happens next

The proposals now go to the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission has also opened a Digital Fitness Check consultation, running until 11 March 2026, to test the cumulative impact of EU digital rules. Businesses preparing for high-risk AI obligations, and those reviewing cookie and incident reporting processes, should follow the negotiations closely, as the final text may differ from the proposal.

Sources

• European Commission press corner: Simpler EU digital rules and new digital wallets to save billions for businesses
• European Commission: Simpler digital rules to help EU businesses grow