The European Union is quietly rewriting parts of its digital rulebook, and this week is a milestone. Member state ambassadors, meeting as Coreper on Wednesday October 7, will examine the latest compromise text on the Digital Omnibus package, the Irish Presidency’s attempt to simplify EU digital legislation without dismantling its core protections. If ambassadors agree, the Council can move toward a negotiating mandate with the European Parliament.
What is in the compromise text
The updated text strengthens trade secrets protection and reinforces the handbrake mechanism under the Data Act. Data holders will be able to refuse an access request if they can demonstrate a high risk of unlawful use or disclosure by entities under the jurisdiction of third countries with insufficient protection, and the Commission will be required to issue guidance on assessing serious economic damage and sensitive data in critical sectors. On the GDPR side, a German proposal for a category of low-risk controllers exempt from several obligations did not make it into the text, but the compromise keeps a future review of GDPR obligations according to the level of risk to data subjects and the impact on small organisations.
The change your website team will notice
The most concrete everyday change concerns cookies. Under the ePrivacy Directive rules in the package, the compromise reduces the waiting period before a provider may ask a user for consent again for the same purpose from six months to four months. If adopted, that means consent management platforms and banner logic across European websites will need retuning, and marketing teams will need to plan for more frequent consent interactions with users who decline.
Why companies should prepare now
None of this is final, and the Parliament negotiation can still reshape the text. But the direction of travel is clear: obligations calibrated to risk and organisational size, stronger protections around commercially sensitive data flows to third countries, and evolving consent mechanics. European companies that wait for the final vote to act will face a compressed compliance window, while those that map their data flows and consent infrastructure now will adapt in days rather than months.
If you want a practical read on how the Digital Omnibus will affect your GDPR posture, your cookie consent setup, or your Data Act readiness, contact Excello Digital. We help European businesses turn regulatory change into a competitive advantage instead of an emergency.