EU Digital Policy Reloaded: Scrutinising the Past, Shaping the Future

Project description

Over the past decade, the European Commission has launched several digital policy initiatives, namely the Digital Agenda (2010) under President Barroso, the Digital Single Market Strategy (2015) under President Juncker, and Europe’s Digital Decade Program (2021) under President von der Leyen. While each of those initiatives was based on accurate findings and presented good strategies to do both, tackling certain digital risks and accelerating the digital transformation, the final outcome was in all three cases rather underwhelming. The 2024 Competitiveness Report, written by the former ECB President Mario Draghi, listed the EU’s underperforming digital economy as one of the main threats for maintaining our living standards and safeguarding our democratic systems.

The project aims, firstly, to critically scrutinize and evaluate the three digital policy initiatives of the Commission, determining their effectiveness, achievements, and areas needing improvement. By analysing their policy objectives against actual outcomes, it will also be able to identify structural challenges within the EU Institutions, allowing it to work on general reform proposals. In a second part, the project will apply its findings specifically to the field of privacy. It will evaluate the GDPR’s impact on data protection, business compliance, and digital innovation. Informed by the three-layered GDPR revision proposal brought up by MEP Axel Voss and privacy advocate Max Schrems in early March 2025, it will attempt to develop a concrete legislative proposal that aims to better balance robust EU data protection with practical compliance measures for businesses of all sizes.

Project Goals

Approach

Part 1: Evaluating a Decade of EU Digital Strategies

• Comprehensive Literature Review: Examine official EU documents, academic studies, and industry reports related to the EU’s overall digital policy agenda to better understand the objectives and implementations.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Conduct interviews with policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to gather diverse perspectives on the successes and shortcomings of these policy initiatives.
• Comparative Analysis: Compare the intended goals of each strategy with actual outcomes, identifying gaps and areas where expectations were met or exceeded.

Part 2: GDPR Evaluation and Reform Proposal

• Targeted Impact Assessment: Analyse the GDPR’s effects across various sectors, considering both positive outcomes and challenges faced by companies, organizations, and data subjects.
• Case Studies: Develop detailed case studies of businesses of different sizes to illustrate how the GDPR has been implemented and its practical implications.
• Reform Proposal: Utilize findings from the targeted impact assessment as well as the case studies, along with ideas from the Voss-Schrems initiative, to formulate a nuanced GDPR reform proposal that incorporates a true risk-based approach into the law.

Deliverables

Part 1: Evaluating a Decade of EU Digital Strategies

• Comprehensive Report: A detailed analysis of the EU’s digital strategies over the past decade, highlighting achievements, shortcomings, and lessons learned.
• Policy Recommendations: A set of actionable recommendations aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of future EU digital policies, ensuring they are well coordinated as well as adaptable for the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Part 2: GDPR Evaluation and Reform Proposal

• Targeted Impact Assessment Analysis: Evaluation of the GDPR’s impact on various stakeholders, including businesses, citizens, and regulatory bodies.
• Reform Proposal: A well-substantiated proposal for a targeted GDPR reform, incorporating a tiered compliance framework, as suggested by Voss and Schrems, better fitted to the needs of different types of organizations.
• Policy Briefings: Concise documents summarizing key findings and recommendations, designed to inform and influence policymakers, industry stakeholders, and the public.

About Kai Zenner

Kai Zenner is Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss (EPP) in the European Parliament, specializing in AI policy, privacy, and the EU's digital transition. Before, he worked as Research Associate at the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation. His extensive experience also includes roles as Member of the OECD.AI Network of Experts, the AI Governance Alliance at the World Economic Forum, and before the United Nations' temporary Expert Group supporting the High-Level Advisory Body on AI.

He holds degrees in political science from the University of Bremen (B.A.) and the University of Edinburgh (M.Sc.) as well as a State Exam in law from the University of Münster. Recognized for his influence on digital policy, Zenner was awarded Best MEP Assistant (2023), ranked #13 in Politico’s Power 40 (2023), received the European AI Award (2024), and was highlighted by Euronews as one of '14 movers and shakers' in Tech policy to watch in 2025.

The Fellowship of Practice is carried out in a personal capacity.

Fellowship of Practice in Collaboration with our Labs

At the TUM Think Tank, Kai Zenner will collaborate with the Law & Tech Lab led by Boris Paal, the Ethical Data Initiative led by Sabina Leonelli, the GovTech Initiative led by Markus Siewert and Urs Gasser, and the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) led by Armando Guio Español.