Digital regulatory reform: from the Digital Omnibus to digital sovereignty

  • Panel
  • Grande Halle
  • Wednesday 20.05 — 14:15 - 15:30

Organising Institution

European Data Protection Board

Europe

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is an independent European body with legal personality. It ensures that the General Data Protection Regulation and the Law Enforcement Directive are applied consistently and ensures cooperation, including on enforcement.
  • Academic 2
  • Business 2
  • Policy 2
Europe’s digital landscape is in a new phase of transformation and policymakers face a pivotal moment. This panel brings together regulators, legislators, industry representatives, academics and civil-society representatives to explore how the reform to data protection legal framework can support European competitiveness and innovation. This session aims to foster an open, balanced and forward-looking discussion on how Europe can shape a digital ecosystem that is innovative, resilient and firmly grounded in fundamental rights.

Questions to be answered

  1. Does the reform to data protection legal framework fundamentally support European competitiveness and innovation ?
  2. What are the risks of under- or over-regulation for Europe’s technological leadership?
  3. Is the protection of fundamental rights an obstacle to innovation, competitiveness, and global relevance? Can they coexist?
  4. Should the answer to a stronger European digital sector be sought in more digital sovereignty and what is needed to achieve this sovereignty?

Moderator

Isabelle Vereecken

European Data Protection Board - International

Isabelle Vereecken is head of Secretariat of the European Data Protection Board, which is providing legal, administrative and logistical support to the EDPB. Prior working for the EDPB, she worked 10 years for the Belgian Data Protection Authority where she worked on international data transfers matters and on the negotiation of the GDPR.

Speaker

Augustin Reyna

BEUC - International

Agustín Reyna is the Director General of BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation, which serves as the umbrella group for 42 independent consumer organisations across 31 European countries. BEUC's primary mission is to act as a strong consumer voice in Brussels and to ensure that consumer interests are given their proper weight in all EU policies. Agustín joined BEUC in 2010 and has since held various positions, including Director of the Legal and Economic Department. Since 2018, he has served as a non- governmental advisor for the European Commission to the International Competition Network and represents BEUC in numerous European and international forums. Additionally, he is a member of ESMA’s Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group. Agustín holds a law degree from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, an advanced master’s degree in ICT Law from the University of Namur in Belgium, and a PhD in Law from the University of Bremen in Germany.

Speaker

Victoria de Posson

European Tech Alliance - International

Victoria de Posson is Secretary General of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA), where she represents European-born digital companies in EU policymaking. She leads the Alliance’s policy and advocacy strategy, with a focus on platform regulation, data governance and AI. Her work centres on making EU digital regulation effective in practice, promoting simplification, legal certainty and enforcement frameworks that deliver real-world outcomes while safeguarding innovation and competitiveness. She also lectures on EU policymaking and digital regulation, contributing to policy literacy and capacity-building. Alongside her professional activities, she remains engaged in initiatives advancing gender equality and women’s leadership. Her core interest lies in how Europe can regulate technology in a way that protects fundamental rights without undermining its own competitiveness.

Speaker

Jan Kostijn Dieben

Permanente Vertegenwoordiging - Europe

Jan-Kostijn Dieben is the Justice and Home Affairs Counsellor at Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the European Union (NL Perm. Rep.) for all civil and commercial law matters. As such, he a.o. represents the Netherlands in Council negotiations on all data protection files, including the Digital Omnibus. [Before joining the NL Perm. Rep. Jan-Kostijn worked on EU platform regulation (i.e. the Digital Services Act package) at the European Commission, DG CNECT. Jan-Kostijn was trained as a corporate lawyer in the Netherlands and admitted to the Dutch Bar, after which he spent a few years at Utrecht University doing research on the intersection of law and technology.

Speaker

Charly Helleputte

King & Spalding - Belgium

Charly has extensive experience advising clients on cybersecurity and privacy matters in complex cross-border contexts, where navigating multiple regulatory and enforcement frameworks—such as NIS, PSD2, and CTR—is critical. Charly provides strategic counsel to organizations facing heightened accountability requirements, including in the AI space, and helps them explore innovative compliance approaches, such as leveraging standards and certification mechanisms across the data lifecycle in both regulated and unregulated industries