European Union: Data Protection

Protection of minors is a topic that keep digital businesses awake at night. Legislators and regulators worldwide are moving fast in their effort to ensure online safety for minors. The European Union is not an exception, with its high standards of safety and privacy online. Cyprus, as an EU Member State, is also making steps towards finding an efficient solution to protect children in the digital environment.

On May 21, 2026, an updated draft bill to implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive (“Draft Bill”) was submitted to the House of Representatives.

The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission agreed a joint roadmap to complete and deepen the EU single market by the end of 2027. The roadmap sets out a programme of legislative and policy initiatives. It is structured around five strategic priorities, including digital infrastructure and connectivity as a core pillar, with measures to simplify regulation, remove barriers to cross-border provision and accelerate digital and AI transformation.

Foreign direct investment screening rules in Belgium and the EU create uncertainty for investors, particularly in technology deals. This analysis examines when asset transfers involving intellectual property...

The European Union has reached a provisional political agreement on amendments to the AI Act, introducing targeted changes aimed at reducing administrative burden while maintaining the regulatory framework's core architecture. The agreement extends compliance timelines for high-risk AI systems, strengthens governance through enhanced EU AI Office powers, and introduces new prohibited practices related to AI-generated content.

The European Commission has issued comprehensive interpretive guidelines on high-risk AI system classification under Articles 6(1) and 6(2) of the EU AI Act, while simultaneously postponing key compliance deadlines through the AI Omnibus package.

Ireland has emerged as Europe's leading destination for AI and technology investment, yet a significant readiness gap is emerging across Irish businesses. The third William Fry Technology Report reveals that while 80% of large firms have invested in AI, 70% of businesses overall have yet to do so, and only 11% of large businesses report achieving positive returns on their AI investments.

The Data Act introduces mandatory cloud switching provisions to prevent vendor lock-in, requiring service providers to facilitate customer transitions between data processing services without barriers or fees. This analysis examines the obligations imposed on cloud service providers, customer rights under the new framework, and the technical requirements for achieving interoperability across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS platforms.

Gérard Haas et son équipe ont compilé les actualités juridiques et numériques les plus marquantes de la semaine, couvrant des décisions de justice européenne, des enjeux de cybersécurité et les évolutions réglementaires...