Your EU digital compliance briefing | Edition #001 | Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Twice a week, we keep you current on EU digital regulation in 5 minutes.

Top Stories

Digital Networks Act Draft Expected Today — 4 min read

The European Commission is set to publish the long-awaited Digital Networks Act today, marking a major overhaul of EU telecom and connectivity rules. Commissioner Henna Virkkunen will present the draft after it was delayed from December 2025 following pushback from six member states. The DNA aims to accelerate fiber deployment, harmonize spectrum allocation, and create dispute resolution mechanisms between telecom operators and large traffic generators like Netflix. Notably, Big Tech faces no new mandatory obligations—instead following a voluntary best practices framework monitored by BEREC. The proposal enters trilogue negotiations, with spectrum management expected to be the most contentious issue.

Meta's New Ad Consent Model Goes Live This Month — 3 min read

Meta will begin rolling out a new advertising consent model to EU users this month following its €200 million fine in April 2025. Users will choose between sharing all data for fully personalized ads or sharing less data for limited personalization—the first time such a choice has been offered on Facebook and Instagram. The change comes after regulators rejected Meta's original "pay-or-consent" model, which charged up to €12.99/month for ad-free access. The Commission will monitor adoption rates and compliance; failure to meet DMA obligations could trigger daily periodic penalties of 5% of average daily turnover.

Germany's NIS2 Portal Now Accepting Registrations — 3 min read

Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) opened its NIS2 registration portal on January 6, more than a year after the directive's transposition deadline. Around 29,500 entities now fall under BSI supervision—up from 4,500 previously. The portal also serves as the mandatory reporting channel for significant security incidents. Companies must assess whether they qualify as "essential" or "important" entities under the expanded scope covering energy, transport, health, and digital infrastructure sectors. Non-compliance penalties can reach €10 million or 2% of global turnover for essential entities (€7 million or 1.4% for important entities).

Stat of the Week

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Contributions received in the DMA review consultation, published by the Commission on January 8. Respondents included SMEs, gatekeepers, civil society, and academics—many calling for expanded scope to cover AI and cloud services. The review report is due May 3, 2026. (Source)

Quick Hits

AI Act Transparency Feedback Due Thursday — Stakeholders have until January 23 to submit comments on the draft Code of Practice for marking and labeling AI-generated content. The final Code is expected by June 2026, ahead of August transparency obligations.

DMA Review Summary Published — The Commission released consultation responses on January 8, showing broad support for the regulation with calls to strengthen interoperability and extend coverage to AI services.

NIS2 Transposition Momentum — Portugal and Austria joined Germany in adopting national NIS2 legislation. Spain, France, and Poland are nearing completion. Hungary extended its first audit deadline to June 30, 2026.

DORA Review Report Due — The European Commission's review of the Digital Operational Resilience Act is due January 17, 2026, potentially recommending strengthened requirements for statutory auditors.

Compliance Calendar

Dates sourced from official EU publications and regulatory trackers. Verify with legal counsel before relying on deadlines.

Enforcement Tracker

Next edition: Friday, January 23, 2026

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