Nicosia, CYPRUS – As Cyprus prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2026, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) today unveiled a roadmap with digital and tech priorities in Nicosia.
This roadmap, featuring nine actionable steps, urges Cyprus to prioritise simplifying EU digital rules, boosting legal certainty, and strengthening Europe’s global competitiveness.
CCIA Europe emphasises that Cyprus has a unique opportunity to ensure that Europe’s ongoing simplification efforts also translate into tangible results. The new set of recommendations highlights three main priorities to avoid past pitfalls.
First, the Presidency is urged to cut red tape, harmonise enforcement, and streamline overly complex rules. A ‘common sense’ mechanism should automatically extend compliance deadlines by at least 12 months after missing technical specifications become available, starting with the AI Act. Cyprus should simplify green policies to support competitiveness, and avoid premature revisions of consumer law, such as a Digital Fairness Act.
Second, stability and openness in the Single Market are essential. Cyprus should ensure EU digital legislation remains technically robust and principle-based. The Presidency must firmly reject non-technical or exclusionary market restrictions – like sovereignty criteria in cybersecurity and discriminatory financial data access rules – which ultimately only raise costs and reduce choice for Europeans.
Finally, a safe and competitive online environment is key. Regulatory discussions must be evidence-based and harmonised across EU Member States. The forthcoming Digital Networks Act should not covertly introduce network fees in any form that undermine net neutrality. And Cyprus ought to champion a unified, risk-based approach to minor protection that maintains the primacy of existing frameworks like the Digital Services Act.
To matter, the European Commission’s narrow simplification efforts must be expanded across the EU’s entire digital framework. CCIA Europe therefore urges the Cypriot Presidency to drive bold, decisive action within the Council of the European Union.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Senior Vice President & Head of Office, Daniel Friedlaender:
“Cyprus can turn Europe’s promise of simpler digital rules into action now. By championing legal certainty and a truly open Single Market, the Presidency can set a new benchmark for digital competitiveness. It can lead by example to help correct Europe’s course.”
“CCIA Europe’s recommendations help the Cypriot Presidency ensure that simplification delivers real results quickly – not just speeches, grandstanding, or more strategies. Every new law and review must be evidence-based, grounded in market realities, and avoid regulation for regulation’s sake. Because that failed approach cannot be repeated.”
Notes for editors
The full document with CCIA Europe’s nine key digital and tech recommendations to the Cypriot EU Council Presidency is available here: https://ccianet.org/library/ccia-europe-recommendations-to-cypriot-eu-council-presidency/
