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In a nutshell: The EU and the US began formal negotiations on an EU-US agreement on e-evidence. The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs voted for starting negotiations with the EU Council on the proposal for a Regulation on the prevention of terrorist content online. The new Executive Director of ENISA spoke about the future course of the EU cybersecurity agency, while Security Commissioner Julian King outlined plans for the future EU (cyber)security policy during the hearings with the European Parliament. President-elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen presented her team in the European Commission that starts its work on 1 November.

In a nutshell: On 2 July, the 9th legislature of the European Parliament was officially constituted, with the new MEPs taking their seats. The European Parliament elected the President of the European Commission, who will lead the work of the Commission for the next five years starting from 1 November 2019. The European Data Protection Board, together with the European Data Protection Supervisor issued their joint assessment on the US CLOUD Act and its impact on the EU. The European Commission outlined its future plans for cybersecurity certification under the EU Cybersecurity Act that entered into force on 27 June 2019. The European Commission published its study on the legal framework of notice-and-action procedures within Member States that was conducted last year. A new study for the European Parliament on challenges between blockchain technologies and GDPR was published. The European Court of Justice delivered a judgment on the notion of joint controllership under EU data protection legislation.

In a nutshell: From 1 July, Finland took over the presidency in the EU Council. The strategic agenda for 2019-2024 was adopted at the EU Summit, while telecom ministers in the EU Council put forward their conclusions regarding the future of digital Europe. The European Court of Justice delivered rulings on the nature of services offered by Skype and Gmail, while the Advocate General issued their opinion in the case of Facebook and whether the removal of content online should apply globally.

In a nutshell: the EU has elected a new European Parliament. The EU Council has approved the European Commission's mandate to start negotiations for a transatlantic deal on e-Evidence and adopted a framework concerning restrictive measures against cyber-attacks threatening the EU. The European Commission has made policy recommendations regarding the Strategic Agenda for the following 5 years. ePrivacy negotiations revealed possible EU plans for data retention legislation.

In a nutshell: The European Parliament concluded the last plenary session of its 8th term on 18th April. The Parliament will resume in its new composition after the European elections (23-26 May). Before concluding its term, the LIBE committee issued two Working Documents on e-Evidence and finalised its position on TERREG. EU ministers have signed off the Copyright Directive. The European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager's special advisers identified challenges for future policy-making for competition in digital economy. The European Data Protection Supervisor issued its opinion on the possible EU-US deal on e-Evidence. European Court of Justice Advocate General released its opinion on the nature of Airbnb service.

In a nutshell: The European Parliament formally adopts the EU Cybersecurity Act and the Copyright Directive. The E-Evidence package receives further criticism in the series of Working Documents issued by LIBE. TERREG progresses speedily through the European Parliament’s committees. The European Data Protection Board gives guidance on the correlation of the GDPR and the e-Privacy Directive.

In a nutshell: LIBE issued the 3rd Working Document identifying further issues with e-Evidence. ITRE approved its position on establishing an EU-wide Cybersecurity Competence Centre. The Romanian Presidency keeps pushing the ePrivacy file through the hurdles in the EU Council. CULT and LIBE propose more than 1000 amendments on the proposal for preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online. New rules for copyright in the EU got approved by the EU Council and JURI.

In a nutshell: LIBE issued a Draft Report on the proposal for preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online; and asks the European Commission to put more work into its e-Evidence proposal. The Romanian Presidency has proposed a new compromise for the Copyright Directive to reconcile the differences between France and Germany on the exclusion of SMEs; and is attempting to move forward with the ePrivacy file. The trilogues have been concluded on the new rules for the re-use of public sector information.

In a nutshell: The end of 2018 was busy in Brussels. Legislators managed to agree on the new rules for.eu and to finalise trilogues on the Cybersecurity Act. The Romanian Presidency has picked up the baton from its Austrian counterparts in the EU Council and will continue discussions on e-Evidence, together with the Copyright Directive and the Terrorist Content Regulation in 2019. 30 initiatives under the "Digital Single Market" proposal by the Juncker-led European Commission were intended to be completed by the end of 2018, with 7 open files still awaiting final agreement in the course of 2019 before the new European Parliament is elected in May. The Romanian Presidency expects to reach an agreement on the Copyright Directive and ePrivacy.

In a nutshell: The Regulation on .eu has entered interinstitutional negotiations after the European Parliament adopted its position. The EU-wide cybersecurity scheme is being debated in trilogues on the EU Cybersecurity Act. The e-Evidence proposal receives more criticism from a plethora of stakeholders, including judiciary and national data protection authorities. The Austrian Presidency issued its general approach on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online in the Council of the EU.