Digital Fairness Act (DFA) | Links
Commission launches open consultation on the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act
Fitness Check on EU consumer law on digital fairness
Mission letter addressed to Commissioner-designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law
On Tuesday 23 December 2025, the United States Department of State announced the imposition of visa restrictions on five European individuals whom it accused of engaging in actions that allegedly undermined freedom of expression and targeted U.S. based digital platforms. According to the U.S. authorities, the measures were adopted under existing immigration powers allowing the denial of entry to foreign nationals whose conduct is deemed contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests. The State Department stated that the affected individuals had been involved in activities described as efforts to pressure or coerce American technology companies into suppressing lawful speech.
Announcement of a Visa Restriction Policy Targeting Foreign Nationals Who Censor Americans
2 July 2025 - Commission adopts delegated act on data access under the Digital Services Act.
The delegated act on data access under the Digital Services Act enables researchers to obtain unprecedented access to platforms’ internal data to contribute to a safer online world.
On 2 July 2025, the Commission published a delegated act outlining rules granting access to data for qualified researchers under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This delegated act enables access to the internal data of very large online platforms (VLOPs) and search engines (VLOSEs) to research the systemic risks and on the mitigation measures in the European Union.
The delegated act on data access clarifies the procedures for VLOPs and VLOSEs to share data with vetted researchers, including data formats and requirements for data documentation. Moreover, the delegated act sets out which information Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs), VLOPs and VLOSEs must make public to facilitate vetted researchers' applications to access relevant datasets.
With the adoption of the delegated act, the Commission will launch the DSA data access portal where researchers interested in accessing data under the new mechanism can find information and exchange with VLOPs, VLOSEs and DSCs on their data access applications.
2 July 2025 - Commission adopts delegated act on data access under the Digital Services Act.
20 February 2025 - New best-practice election toolkit on the Digital Services Act, from the European Commission.
The DSA elections toolkit summarises the best approaches and practices that national regulators have pioneered over the last year to mitigate risks on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) during elections. The toolkit is a set of best practices that help Member States’ regulators in their work with VLOPs and VLOSEs to address risks like hate speech, online harassment, and manipulation of public opinion, including those involving artificial intelligence-generated content and impersonation.
13 February 2025 - The Commission endorses the integration of the voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation into the Digital Services Act.
With its integration, full adherence to the Code may be considered as an appropriate risk mitigation measure for signatories designated as VLOPs and VLOSEs under the DSA. As such, the Code will become a significant and meaningful benchmark for determining DSA compliance. Compliance with the commitments under the Code will also be part of the annual independent audit, which these platforms are subject to under the DSA.
20 January 2025 - The Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online +, integrated into the Digital Services Act.
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/code-conduct-countering-illegal-hate-speech-online
The Digital Services Act package includes:
1. The Digital Services Act,
2. The Digital Markets Act.
Both legislative acts were adopted by the Council and the European Parliament in 2022. Below we have the final text.
7 March 2025 - The six gatekeepers (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft) publish updated reports on DMA compliance.
Text of the Digital Services Act (DSA), 19 October 2022.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022R2065
Text of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), 14 September 2022.
EU, Founding agreements
The European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that every action taken by the EU is founded on treaties that have been approved voluntarily and democratically by all EU member countries. For example, if a policy area is not cited in a treaty, the Commission cannot propose a law in that area.
A treaty is a binding agreement between EU member countries. It sets out EU objectives, rules for EU institutions, how decisions are made and the relationship between the EU and its member countries.
Treaties are amended to make the EU more efficient and transparent, to prepare for new member countries and to introduce new areas of cooperation – such as the single currency.
Under the treaties, EU institutions can adopt legislation, which the member countries then implement. The complete texts of treaties, legislation, case law and legislative proposals can be viewed using the EUR-Lex database of EU law.
The European Council
In the Council of the EU, informally also known as the Council, government ministers from each EU country meet to discuss, amend and adopt laws, and coordinate policies. The ministers have the authority to commit their governments to the actions agreed on in the meetings.
The Council of the European Union:
- negotiates and adopts EU laws, together with the European Parliament, based on proposals from the European Commission
- coordinates EU countries' policies
- develops the EU's foreign & security policy, based on European Council guidelines
- concludes agreements between the EU and other countries or international organisations
- adopts the annual EU budget - jointly with the European Parliament
https://www.consilium.europa.eu
The European Commission
The Commission is steered by a group of 27 Commissioners, known as 'the college'. Together they take decisions on the Commission's political and strategic direction.
A new college of Commissioners is appointed every 5 years.
The Commission is organised into policy departments, known as Directorates-General (DGs), which are responsible for different policy areas. DGs develop, implement and manage EU policy, law, and funding programmes. In addition, service departments deal with particular administrative issues. Executive agencies manage programmes set up by the Commission.
The European Parliament
The European Parliament is an important forum for political debate and decision-making at the EU level. The Members of the European Parliament are directly elected by voters in all Member States to represent people’s interests with regard to EU law-making and to make sure other EU institutions are working democratically.
The Parliament acts as a co-legislator, sharing with the Council the power to adopt and amend legislative proposals and to decide on the EU budget. It also supervises the work of the Commission and other EU bodies and cooperates with national parliaments of EU countries to get their input. See how it all works here.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
Since the establishment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 1952, its mission has been to ensure that "the law is observed" "in the interpretation and application" of the Treaties.
As part of that mission, the Court of Justice of the European Union:
- reviews the legality of the acts of the institutions of the European Union,
- ensures that the Member States comply with obligations under the Treaties, and
- interprets European Union law at the request of the national courts and tribunals.
The Court thus constitutes the judicial authority of the European Union and, in cooperation with the courts and tribunals of the Member States, it ensures the uniform application and interpretation of EU law.
The Court of Justice of the European Union, which has its seat in Luxembourg, consists of two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court (created in 1988). The Civil Service Tribunal, established in 2004, ceased to operate on 1 September 2016 after its jurisdiction was transferred to the General Court in the context of the reform of the European Union’s judicial structure.
As each Member State has its own language and specific legal system, the Court of Justice of the European Union is a multilingual institution. Its language arrangements have no equivalent in any other court in the world, since each of the official languages of the European Union can be the language of a case. The Court is required to observe the principle of multilingualism in full, because of the need to communicate with the parties in the language of the proceedings and to ensure that its case-law is disseminated throughout the Member States.
The European Court of Auditors
“The Court of Auditors shall carry out the Union’s audit” (TFEU, Article 285).
The TFEU confers upon the European Court of Auditors the main task of carrying out the Union’s audit with the dual aim of improving financial management and reporting to the citizens of Europe on the use made of public funds by the authorities responsible for their management.
The European Ombudsman
Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, Article 228: "A European Ombudsman, elected by the European Parliament, shall be empowered to receive complaints from any citizen of the Union or any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role. He or she shall examine such complaints and report on them. In accordance with his duties, the Ombudsman shall conduct inquiries for which he finds grounds, either on his own initiative or on the basis of complaints submitted to him direct or through a Member of the European Parliament, except where the alleged facts are or have been the subject of legal proceedings. Where the Ombudsman establishes an instance of maladministration, he shall refer the matter to the institution, body, office or agency concerned, which shall have a period of three months in which to inform him of its views. The Ombudsman shall then forward a report to the European Parliament and the institution, body, office or agency concerned. The person lodging the complaint shall be informed of the outcome of such inquiries."
https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu
The European Central Bank (ECB)
The European Central Bank works to keep prices stable in the euro area. They contribute to the safety and soundness of the European banking system.
The ECB is the central bank of the 19 European Union countries which use the euro.
The first step towards creating the ECB was the decision, taken in 1988, to build an Economic and Monetary Union: free capital movements within Europe, a common monetary authority, and a single monetary policy across the euro area countries.
The European External Action Service (EEAS)
The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the European Union’s diplomatic service. Since 2011, the EEAS carries out the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy to promote peace, prosperity, security, and the interests of Europeans across the globe.
The EU maintains diplomatic relations with nearly all countries in the world and undertakes a range of actions with strategic partners, key international players, and emerging and developing powers.
In an increasingly interconnected world, Europe’s security starts abroad. European citizens expect and deserve to live in a safe and stable environment. In the face of increased global instability, the EU takes more responsibility for its own security and increase its capacity to act autonomously.
The Delegation of the European Union in the United States of America
The European Union is represented in the United States by the Washington, D.C, Delegation, which works in close coordination with the nearby embassies of the EU Member States.
The Delegation promotes EU policies in the United States, which includes presenting and explaining EU actions to the U.S. Administration and Congress. By engaging with political actors, the media, academia, business, and civil society, we raise awareness of EU issues and concerns and promote the importance of the EU-U.S relationship among the American public.
The Delegation reports on the political, social, and economic situations in the United States to the headquarters in Brussels. Since 1964, the EU has also maintained an office in New York, serving as the EU’s Mission to the United Nations.
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-states-america_en
Cyber Risk GmbH websites
a. General, Sectors, Industries.
1. Hybrid Risk
4. Defensive Hybrid Intelligence (DHI)
5. Cognitive Intelligence (COGINT)
6. Legal Intelligence (LEGINT)
7. Algorithmic and AI Intelligence (ALGINT)
8. Synthetic Cognitive Intelligence (SCINT)
9. Hybrid Resilience Initiative (HRI)
10. Cyber Risk GmbH
11. Social Engineering Training
22. Sanctions Risk
23. American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 (APRA)
24. Travel Security
25. Risk management, what is different in Switzerland
b. Understanding Cybersecurity.
4. What is Synthetic Identity Fraud?
6. What is Quantum Risk Management?
c. Understanding Cybersecurity in the European Union.
2. The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
3. The Critical Entities Resilience Directive (CER)
5. The European Data Governance Act (DGA)
6. The European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)
7. The Digital Services Act (DSA)
8. The Digital Markets Act (DMA)
10. The Artificial Intelligence Act
11. The Artificial Intelligence Liability Directive
12. The Framework for Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Practices (FAICP)
13. The EU Cyber Solidarity Act
14. The Digital Networks Act (DNA)
15. The European ePrivacy Regulation
16. The European Digital Identity Regulation
17. The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)
18. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)
19. The Systemic Cyber Incident Coordination Framework (EU-SCICF)
20. The European Health Data Space (EHDS)
21. The European Financial Data Space (EFDS)
22. The Financial Data Access (FiDA) Regulation
23. The Payment Services Directive 3 (PSD3), Payment Services Regulation (PSR)
24. The Internal Market Emergency and Resilience Act (IMERA)
26. The European Cyber Defence Policy
27. The Strategic Compass of the European Union
28. The European Space Law (EUSL)
30. The EU-US Data Privacy Framework