ZARZALEJOS OPENS IN BRUSSELS A KEY DEBATE ON EUROPEAN COORDINATION IN DIGITAL REGULATION

On March 17, Javier Zarzalejos, Member of the European Parliament from the Partido Popular and Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), opened in Brussels the conference “Cross-regulatory interplay and cooperation in the EU: a data protection perspective”, together with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen. The event, organized by the Comitre, brought together European authorities and experts to address the challenges of digital regulation in the Union.

During his opening remarks, Zarzalejos emphasized the need for different European authorities to work in a coordinated manner in the face of an increasingly complex digital environment. He noted that data protection, competition, and the oversight of large platforms are now closely interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation.

The MEP also warned about the growing power of large technology companies, stressing that their control over vast amounts of data allows them to strengthen their market position. In his view, this reality requires a joint response from European institutions to prevent abuses and to ensure both fair competition and the protection of citizens.

In this regard, he argued that Europe must strengthen its capacity to act in order to protect its values and its digital model. Zarzalejos concluded by underlining that closer cooperation among authorities will be key to ensuring a safer, fairer, and rights-respecting digital environment, especially in light of the rapid development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.