European Capitals Balk at Proposed GDPR Change

Council of the EU Rejects Redefinition of 'Personal Data' David Meyer • February 24, 2026

A rejection by European Union member governments of proposal backed by the European Commission to make it easier to share data about individuals won cautious plaudits from Paul Nemitz, a key architect of Europe's General Data Protection Regulation.

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As part of a legislation meant to boost economic competitiveness, Europe's executive branch proposed in late 2025 "Digital Omnibus" bill that would streamline tech laws, including the GDPR. Among the Commission's proposals was a redefinition of "personal data" in a way that would make it easier to collect and process people's information. European data protection regulators weighed in earlier this month against the amendment (see: EU Privacy Watchdogs Pan Digital Omnibus).

The Council of the EU, which directly represents bloc member ...