Main session 3: Data protection reform: cut the red tape, not the rights?

In the name of ‘simplification’, ‘clarification’, and ‘modernisation’, policymakers and industry alike are calling for a leaner, more efficient digital regulatory environment. Yet behind the rhetoric of cutting red tape lies a deeper tension: efforts to streamline compliance and enforcement may run the risk of diluting essential safeguards for privacy, fairness and accountability, and ultimately jeopardise the protection of fundamental rights. This panel will take a hard look at what ‘simplification’ really means in the EU’s digital policy context. Are we talking about better coordination and clarity, or quiet deregulation by stealth? As the Union moves from rule-making to rule-applying across the DSA, DMA, Data Act, and AI Act, another key question is how to reduce administrative friction while protecting fundamental rights and preserving public trust. The panel will probe whether the drive for ‘better regulation’ is compatible with Europe’s digital acquis, or whether the current discourse risks privileging compliance efficiency over democratic legitimacy. Key questions: Is regulatory ‘simplification’ becoming a euphemism for deregulation? If modernisation of data protection is needed, what does it mean and why do we need it? What are the benefit and downsides of the reform proposed by the Commission ? How to assess the reform under the compass of simplification, effective protection for individuals and legal certainty? Moderator: Romain Robert, Head of Digital Regulation Sector, Policy and Consultation Unit, EDPS Speakers: Sophie Stalla-Bourdillon, Co-Director, Privacy Hub Victoria de Posson, Secretary General, European Tech Alliance Agustín Reyna, Director General, BEUC Olivier Micol, Head of Data Protection Unit, DG JUST, European Commission