BDI says EU Digital Networks Act adds reporting burdens
The BDI (Federation of German Industries) expresses strong criticism of the proposed EU Digital Networks Act (DNA), stating it fails to meet its goals of simplification and harmonization. The organization argues that the DNA, instead of fostering competitiveness and investment, introduces additional complexity, new obligations, and increased reporting requirements for telecommunications companies, despite prior goals of reducing such burdens. They advocate for a more ambitious simplification agenda to align rules and unlock investment.
Key Takeaways
- BDI says the DNA draft runs more than 340 pages and fails to deliver the promised simplification.
- The Commission had said it wanted to cut reporting requirements by up to 50%, but BDI says the DNA adds new reporting on resilience, sustainability, network availability, and deployment forecasts.
- Telecom companies already face reporting on network coverage, roaming services, and sustainability KPIs, according to BDI.
- BDI supports harmonizing consumer protection rules across the EU to prevent national gold-plating.
- The group calls for sector-specific rules to be aligned with horizontal frameworks and outdated rules to be repealed.
Why It Matters
For telecom operators, the immediate issue is that the DNA appears to layer new reporting and transparency duties on top of existing obligations, rather than reduce them. BDI’s critique matters because it directly challenges the Commission’s simplification pitch and frames the proposal as a burden, not a growth tool. In the broader policy stack, BDI is pushing for sector rules that match horizontal frameworks and for the Digital Networks Act to do more of the heavy lifting that the Digital Omnibus was meant to start. The next concrete signal to watch is whether the Commission revises the draft’s reporting sections or keeps the new resilience, sustainability, and deployment-forecast requirements.
Read full article at bdi.eu