The EU Digital Omnibus: A Move Away from Independent Oversight and European Standardisation

The article examines major changes to EU legislation introduced under the Digital Omnibus VII focusing on the first three proposals advanced under the agenda: the Data Omnibus, AI Omnibus and the European Business Wallet. Under the 2020 Digital Strategy, regulation pursued a model of co-regulation combining private compliance with public oversight and technical standards delegated to European Standard Organisations (ESOs). The Digital Omnibus reduces national regulatory authority (NRA) and third party oversight and the role of ESOs in regulatory implementation. The article argues that this development is accelerating the EU legislative agenda and expanding the executive power of the European Commission. Regulatory simplification has strengthened the capacity of Commission to advance its policy objectives more rapidly across a multitude of digital policy areas.