Digital for Planet works on several European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking’s (SNS JU) and other Horizon Europe telecom projects and proposals (see, e.g. 6G-NTN, 6G4Society, etc.). Therefore, we could not miss the recent ADL‑Connect Europe Report (hereinafter, the Simplification Agenda) and the most recent Connect Europe’s bold regulatory reset vision.
Key Issues Identified
The Simplification Agenda report highlights 34 overlapping regulatory obligations across the telecom lifecycle—creating duties that could allegedly (according to the ADL and Connect Europe, that is) slow progress and restrict innovation. Key issues are:
- Overlapping rules: excessive paperwork and legal uncertainty
- Fragmentation: national variations across EU Member States (MSs) hinder seamless cross-border services
- Financial strain: less regulated counterparts grew better than EU Telecom operators (their market cap fell ~1.8 % annually (2014–2023)
Among the priorities, the Simplification Agenda flags nine critical domains—such as USOs, transparency requirements, contract rules, churn management, security, and AI governance—that should be addressed to reduce burden.
What's Changing
Key recommendations in the Simplification Agenda:
- Streamline obligations
- Rationalise competitive rules
- Consolidate legislation
- Reduce reporting demands
- Reform spectrum policy
- Move enforcement ex‑post
- Maintain robust consumer protection
Regulatory Reset vision:
Given the above, Connect Europe’s Regulatory Reset position published on 14 July 2025, pushes for radical reform:
- Eliminate duplication of the regulations that are overlapping
- Move from ex‑ante to ex‑post regulation
- Simplify spectrum allocation
- Harmonise rules across services and EU MSs
Shared Vision
D4P’s work across climate-neutral smart cities, green IoT/cloud computing, responsible AI, and zero‑pollution communication networks hinges on efficient, harmonised telecom infrastructure. Connected to this, the new Connect Europe’s regulatory foresights that we support, include:
- Streamlined obligations — because it will free the capacity in European research, including to address climate and biodiversity
- Ex‑post enforcement — because it will likely further nurture innovation in sustainable digital services.
From Strategy to Action
While we can mostly just applaud the above Strategic Agenda and the Reset Vision, we know that the devil lies in the details—details that remain to be seen yet. Firstly, while reducing regulatory burdens could improve competitiveness, we must also acknowledge that most regulations serve important purposes, and even the strictest ones have valid justifications.
Secondly, EU and non-EU businesses alike must globally comply with the EU’s strict (very often, the world’s strictest) standards set by its regulation, leading to the adoption of EU standards beyond its borders. Le dicton seems quite clear: ‘follow our standards, or you will not access our markets’. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, has impacted privacy laws in over 100 countries across the world. Hence, in the telecom sector, the EU is a global leader with regulations like the Digital Networks Act (DNA). Losing this regulatory influence, by among others oversimplifying its regulations, could undermine not only the EU’s global reputation, but also, and, indeed, especially, the ‘effect of the Brussels effect’. That is, also the respect of consumers, privacy, the environment, and our planet.
On the other hand, this approach, along with the Simplification Omnibus package, is a positive development. That is, the first Omnibus will likely simplify areas such as sustainability reporting and due diligence, which is great news for organisations that focus on sustainability, including Digital for Planet.
The first-ever Commissioner for Implementation and Simplification will oversee the EC’s work in this area and lead a review of the EU acquis to identify opportunities for simplifying, consolidating, and codifying legislation where needed.