Inline Insights

As political institutions slowly emerge from their Christmas hibernation, we look at the key unresolved issues in tech regulation in the UK and the EU. 

After an intense three-day negotiation marathon, the European Parliament and the Council of the EUreached a provisional agreement on the much-anticipated EU AI Act on 8 December 2023. As the world’s first comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence (AI), this marks a pivotal moment in global AI regulation. With a risk-based approach, the AI Act introduces a structured approach to AI oversight, tailoring regulations to the complexity and capability of various AI systems. 

In November 2023 the UK Government outlined its regulatory intentions for the cryptocasset industry. In this blog, we summarise the UK Government’s plans for the future regulation of cryptoassets and explain the next steps.

The Online Safety Bill was introduced in March 2022 to make the UK the ‘safest place in the world to be online’. After a long journey through Parliament, the Bill passed its final parliamentary stages on Tuesday 19 September and was granted royal assent on 26 October 2023, meaning it is now enshrined in law as the Online Safety Act (OSA). However, companies will not have to comply with most of the Act’s provisions immediately. Rather, many details are yet to be set out via secondary legislation and guidance. In this blog post, we take a look at the next steps under the UK’s new online safety regime.   

The European Union’s economic framework has for a long time been underpinned by advances in technology. Yet, in our rapidly evolving digital era, innovation may in some cases pose a threat to economic security. The European Commission has therefore announced that it will undertake in-depth risk assessments across a number of critical technologies. While this initiative pivots on reducing tech vulnerabilities, it also encompasses geopolitics, strategic partnerships, and safeguarding the EU’s economic interests. 

This is one of a series of blogs on how public policy is made in the UK. In this first blog, we look at how policies are created and what happens before they are brought to Parliament as a legislative bill.

The US has witnessed a rapid increase in electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years. In this blog, we will examine the recent actions the US has taken to encourage EV usage and then discuss some challenges the US faces in continuing this growth.

In this blog, we look at the steps the European Union is taking to regulate artificial intelligence.

In this blog, Inline Policy looks at how the UK, home to many promising AI start-ups, is seeking to balance certainty with flexibility in its regulatory framework.

In this blog, Inline looks at the details of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, what it means for businesses, and the debate surrounding the draft legislation.

As London Tech Week gets going, we take a look at the key debates in UK tech policy and recap where all of the major new regulatory proposals have got to. 

Are consumers being deceived by misleading environmental and sustainability claims about products and services? "Greenwashing" is getting increasing attention from EU policymakers.  What is the European Union doing to combat "greenwashing" by companies? How does this impact businesses and what should companies expect?

This blog is based on Inline’s panel discussion “EU short-term rentals regulation: where should compromise between the EU institutions lie?” which took place in April 2023. The event brought together Ivars Ijabs MEP, Shadow Rapporteur for the STR Regulation in the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection - IMCO Committee; Inge Janssen, Director Public Affairs, EMEA at Booking.com and Chair of EU travel tech; and Amaryllis Verhoeven, Head of the Digital Transformation of Industry Unit at DG GROW, European Commission. You can find a recording of the event here.

President Biden, in his State of the Union address laid out his vision for this year. In this blog, Inline Policy will highlight the key tech policy issues on which the Administration and the federal government are focused.

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will establish rules on the production of goods that are sold in the EU market. These rules will cover the entire life cycle of a product, from its design to its recycling. Companies which build tech devices and online platforms which sell those devices to consumers will have new obligations.

On 7 November 2022, the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term rentals. The proposed Regulation aims to establish a framework to share data between online platforms, hosts and public authorities. This blog analyses the two most pertinent parts of the proposed Regulation; it identifies the aspects that may cause friction; and it suggests how this friction could be addressed by policymakers.

Sweden assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January and presented its policy programme on Tuesday 17 January to the European Parliament. The programme focuses on competitiveness, security, rule of law and sustainability. In this article, we examine the digital and sustainable priorities outlined in the programme. The Swedish Presidency is expected to drive progress in areas such as cyber security, data sharing, digital identity, and sustainability.

The European Commission has proposed new rules providing compensation for damage caused by AI systems. Below, we summarise the two key instruments which users and providers of AI systems will need to comply with.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has published his Autumn Statement, outlining the UK Government’s fiscal policies for the next five years. The statement includes a number of measures of interest for the tech sector, which we summarise below.

Once again, the UK has a new Prime Minister. What does this further leadership change mean for the UK’s tech ecosystem and regulatory environment? In this blog, Inline Policy illuminates where a Rishi Sunak premiership could land on issues such as digital competition, data protection, online safety, net zero, artificial intelligence, innovation, and foreign relations.