Euroviews. Enforcement is crucial for EU's tech policy success

The past decade has seen the European Union establishing itself as a frontrunner in global technology policy, enacting groundbreaking laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation, Digital Services Act, and Artificial Intelligence Act.

These regulations are designed to foster innovation, ensure fair markets, and uphold democratic principles.

However, the true value of these laws lies in their effective enforcement — if they remain merely a bunch of words on a page, they are useless to Europeans.

Long an overlooked and unloved part of the policy cycle, we are seeing attitudes around this topic shifting in real-time.

In the run-up to the EU elections, there was much talk of the next Commission mandate focusing on implementation and enforcement rather than further proliferation of new policies. As a draft Council of the EU document put it earlier this year, “the implementation of already-adopted regulations should be prioritised over the creation of new laws”.

But such intentions won’t go a long way without real commitments in Brussels and in the capitals.

To harness enforcement effectively, the EU must adopt innovative approaches that ensure laws are not only enacted but also actively upheld. There are four key areas —policy, procedures, people, and politics — where strategic focus can enhance enforcement.

Clear, actionable, and adaptable laws are essential for effective enforcement. Legislators must avoid ambiguities where they can, but at the same time, not be too prescriptive so that legal texts are future-proof.

For instance, the AI Act's technical specifications are being adapted into standards and codes of practice to remain relevant in a rapidly changing landscape.

Collaboration with civil society and