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Digital Source Booklet:
Regulatory and policy developments
2026 Edition

​
A. Emerging digital technology & digital transformation
1. Research conducted by individuals, companies, associations and universities
1.1. January

1.1.1. International

  • ​World Economic Forum (WEF), Government of United Arab Emirates & Boston Consulting Group (BCG), The Regulatory Frontier: Designing the Rules that Shape Innovation, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • World Economic Forum (WEF) & The Forum of Young Global Leaders, Next Generation Leadership for a World in Transformation: Driving Dialogue and Action, Global Future Council on Leadership, January 2026, accessible here;

  • Condoleezza Rice et al., The Stanford Emerging Technology Review 2026 - A Report on Ten Key Technologies and Their Policy Implications, Stanford University, January 2026, accessible here; 

1.1.2. Asia

1.1.2.1. United Arab Emirates

  • World Economic Forum (WEF) & Ministry Of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, & Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, The TradeTech Paradox: Connectivity Amid Fragmentation, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • World Economic Forum (WEF) & Department of Health Abu Dhabi, A New Era for Digital Health: Abu Dhabi’s Leap to Health Intelligence, January 2026, accessible here; 

2. Reports, guidelines, recommendations and other documents published by regulatory and supervisory authorities, international organizations, and other public institutions and agencies
2.1. January

2.1.1. Europe
2.1.1.1. European Union

  • ​Sarah Sheil, Ten issues to watch in 2026, European Parliamentary Research Service, European Parliament, ISSN: 2600-268X, PE 782.587, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), ESMA Digital Strategy 2026-2028, ESMA65-955014868-12887, January 2026, accessible here;

  • European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), Finfluencers - Tips for responsible promotion, January 2026, accessible here;

  • Maxim Hauk, The ubiquitous digital single market, European Parliament, EU Fact Sheets, January 2026, accessible here;

  • Maxim Hauk, Digital agenda for Europe, European Parliament, EU Fact Sheets, January 2026, accessible here;  

  • European Court of Auditors (ECA), Opinion 02/2026​ (pursuant to Article 322(1) TFEU) concerning the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695 [COM(2025) 543 final]​, EU budget 2028-2034, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • Susanna Fontana, Beatrice Errico, Anna Salonia, & Matteo Costola, Youth protection in the digital sphere, European Committee of the Regions (ECR), Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC), Publications Office of the European Union, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • Simone Sasso, Carolina Perpiña Castillo, & Lorenzo Napolitano, Innovation in the EU: technological and creative performances in numbers across urban and rural regions, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Publications Office of the European Union, January 2026, accessible here;

  • European Commission, The Digital Networks Act - Questions and Answers, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Commission, Commission Staff Working Document - Executive Summary of the Impact Assessment Report: Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of tge European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on digital networks, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, Directive 2002/58/EC and Decision No 676/2002/EC and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1971, Directive (EU) 2018/1972 and Decision No 243/2012 EU (Digital Networks Act), January 2026, accessible here, Impact assessment - Part I, accessible here, Impact assessment - Part II, accessible here, & Impact assessment - Part III accessible here; 

  • European Parliament, European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure - European Parliament resolution of 22 January 2026 on European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure (2025/2007(INI)), P10_TA(2026)0022, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • Analysys Mason & Axiom, Security and Resilience of EU Submarine Cable Infrastructures - Submarine Cable Security Toolbox and Cable Projects of European Interest, Report by the Expert Group under Recommendation 2024/779 on Secure and Resilient Submarine Cable Infrastructures, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect), Service Contract EC-CNECT/2024/OP/0070, European Commission, January 2026, accessible here; 

  • Olivier le Blanc et al., Observatory for digital health technologies in Europe - Exploring Europe’s Digital Health Landscape: Market Dynamics and Economic Impact - Final Report, Capgemini Invent, IDC, European Commission, DG Communications, Networks, Content and Technology (CNECT), CNECT/2022/OP/0036, January 2026, accessible here; 

2.1.1.2. Portugal

  • República Portuguesa - XXV Governo, Estratégia Digital Nacional – Plano de Ação 2026-2027 ("National Digital Strategy – Action Plan 2026-2027"), December 2025, accessible here;

2.2. February

2.2.1. International

  • Neville Bolt & ElÄ«na Lange-Ionatamišvili, The NextGen Information Environment, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), February 2026, acessible here;

  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Technology on the Move, February 2026, accessible here; 

  • Sopho Kharazi et al., Banning Mobile Phones in Schools: A Comprehensive Analysis of Media Coverage Across Countries, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), JRC143863, Publications Office of the European Union,  February 2026, accessible here; 

  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Resource Guide on Advancing Digital Inclusion, Open Solutions Brief Series, February 2026, accessible here; 

2.2.2.2. European Union

  • Anne Ploeger & Kristin Becker, Innovation policy, European Union Fact Sheets, European Parliament, February 2026, accessible here; 

  • Goda SkiotytÄ— & AudronÄ— SadauskaitÄ—, A Digital Omnibus: Identifying Interlinks and Possible Overlaps Between Different Legal Acts in the Field of Digital Legislation to Streamline Tech Rules, European Parliament, Policy Department for Economy and Growth, Directorate-General for Economy, Transformation and Industry (DG ECTI), Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), PE 772.641, February 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Commission, Draft RSPG Opinion on a 6G spectrum roadmap, Radio Spectrum Policy Group, RSPG26-004 FINAL, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect), February 2026, accessible here;

  • Jakub Zawieska et al., Research and Innovation in Smart Mobility in Europes, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), JRC143863, Publications Office of the European Union, February 2026, accessible here; 

  • Ronny Mazzocchi & Kai Gereon Spitzer, Neobanks - Relevance, benefits and challenges for the Banking Union, European Parliament, Economic Governance and EMU Scrutiny Unit (EGOV), Directorate-General for Economy, Transformation and Industry (DG ECTI), PE 773.731, February 2026, accessible here; 

  • Milena Mennecozzi, Monica Piergiovanni & Lucia Selfa Aspiroz, PhD & Maurice Whelan, Strengthening the competitiveness of EU in vitro biotechnologies, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Elsevier Science, JRC141680, February 2026, accessible here, here & here; 

2.2.2.3. United Kingdom

  • Sarah Breeden, Talking ’bout next generation − speech by Sarah Breeden - Given at City & Financial Payments Regulation and Innovation Summit 2026, Bank of England, February 2026, accessible here;

2.2.2.4. Ireland

  • Department of the Taoiseach, Digital Ireland Connecting our People, Securing our Future, National Digital & AI Strategy 2030, Government of Ireland, February 2026, accessible here; 

2.3. March

2.3.1. International

  • Molly Lesher & Nicolas Benoit, The OECD Going Digital Measurement Roadmap 2026, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen (OECD), OECD Digital Economy Papers No. 382, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Molly Lesher & Louis Holt, The OECD Going Digital Integrated Policy Framework 2026, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen (OECD), OECD Digital Economy Papers No. 381, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Isaura Gutiérrez Vargas & Eric Sutherland, Building people-centred digital health systems - Lessons from PaRIS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen (OECD), March 2026, accessible here; 

  • World Health Organization (WHO), Equity across the regulation, implementation and evaluation of digital health: scoping review, March 2026, accessible here; 

2.3.2. Europe

2.3.2.1. European Union & United Kingdom

  • Niestadt Maria, EU-UK digital cooperation, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), PE 785.655, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Clement Evroux, Research and innovation: State of play of EU-UK cooperation, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), PE 785.661, March 2026, accessible here; 

2.3.2.2. European Union

  • Costica Dumbrava, Regulation on digital networks (digital networks act), Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), PE 774.729, March 2026, accessible here;

  • European Central Bank (ECB), Opinion of the European Central Bank of 10 March 2026 on a proposed regulation as regards the simplification of the digital legislative framework (Digital Omnibus), CON/2026/9, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Laurence Amand Eeckhout, Medical devices: Simplifying the rules, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), PE 785.663, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Ambra Maddalon et al., Putting Science into Standards – 3D Bioprinting: Towards Standards in Biomedicine, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Publications Office of the European Union, JRC145664, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Stefano De Luca, Digital networks act legislation, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), PE 785.672, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Data Protection Board (EDPB) & European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), EDPB-EDPS Joint Opinion 3/2026 On the Proposal for a Regulation on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Union’s biotechnology and biomanufacturing sectors particularly in the area of health (European Biotech Act), March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Katarina Barley, Opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs for the Committee on Culture and Education on the impact of social media and the online environment on young people (2025/2081(INI)), European Parliament, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, PE778.040v02-00, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Grégory Allione, Amendments 62-335: Draft opinion (PE785.132v01-00) - Establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, Proposal for a regulation (COM(2025)0555 – 2025/0555(COD)), European Parliament, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs PE785.399v02-00, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Christian Ehler, Draft report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695 (COM(2025)0543 – C10-0164/2025 – 2025/0543(COD)), European Parliament, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, PE785.237v03-00, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Giordano Mion and Aminata Sissoko, Innovation Funding and Startup Growth: The Kick-off of EU Direct Investment, R&I Paper Series, European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Directorate A — European Research Area & Innovation, Unit A.3 — European Innovation Council, Publications Office of the European Union, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Björn Niehaves & Gerhard Klassen, GovTech practices by EU Public Administrations, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Publications Office of the European Union, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Andrea Diaz Rincon et al., Transition to Electric Vehicles - Competitiveness vs Technological Challenge for the EU Automotive Industry, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), March 2026, accessible here; 

  • João Farinha et al., Observing the future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of ocean observation, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), JRC144401, Publications Office of the European Union, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Commission, Guidelines for teaching informatics: practical strategies for European classrooms, Publications Office of the European Union, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Commission, Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training, Publications Office of the European Union, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Michael Flickenschild et al., eTools for regulatory simplification and consistency, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA), Scientific Foresight Unit of the Directorate for Impact Assessment and Evaluation, Ecorys, GA-Alliance, Fraunhofer FOKUS, Rel-I, PE 774.725, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Axel Voss, Draft Opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs for the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of European Business Wallets (COM(2025)0838 – C10-0305/2025 – 2025/0358(COD)), European Parliament, Committee on Legal Affairs, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Stefan Apostol, Anastasia Kublashvili, & Rusne Naujokaityte, SMEs in Critical Technologies - Enhancing Competitiveness Through Cohesion Policy Funds - Part 1, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), European Parliament, Policy Department for Regional Development, Agriculture and Fisheries, Directorate-General for Cohesion, Agriculture and Social Policies (CASP), PE 776.005, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • Stefan Apostol, Anastasia Kublashvili, & Rusne Naujokaityte, Research for REGI committee - SMEs in Critical Technologies: Enhancing Competitiveness Through Cohesion Policy Funds, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), European Parliament, PE 776.006, March 2026, accessible here; 

2.4. April

2.4.1. International

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen (OECD), Due diligence essentials for responsible software, April 2026, accessible here; 

2.4.2. Europe

2.4.2.1. European Union

  • Cosima Lenz, Petra Varkonyi, & Marta Dell'Aquila, Patient-centred health research and innovation in the EU - A preliminary exploratory study, Policy Department for Transformation, Innovation and Health, Directorate-General for Economy, Transformation and Industry (DG ECTI), PE 786.414, April 2026, accessible here; 

  • Laurence Amand Eeckhout, European biotech act, European Parliament, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), PE 785.708, April 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Commission, Commission Staff Working Document - Impact Assessment Report - Accompanying the documents: Commission Regulation (EU) .../... on the application of Article 101(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to categories of technology transfer agreements and Communication from the Commission Guidelines on the application of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to technology transfer agreements, C(2026) 2477 final, SEC(2026) 112 final, SWD(2026) 116 final, April 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Commission, The revised technology transfer block exemption regulation & technology transfer guidelines - Summary of the main changes, April 2026, accessible here; 

3. Legislations, regulations, other legislative instruments
3.1. January
3.1.1. Europe
3.1.1.1. European Union

  • Regulation (EU) 2026/150 of 16 January 2026 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 on establishing the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking, Council of the European Union, ST/16311/2025/INIT, Official Journal of the European Union, January 2026, accessible here;​

  • European Commission, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union on digital networks, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, Directive 2002/58/EC and Decision No 676/2002/EC and repealing Regulation (EU) 2018/1971, Directive (EU) 2018/1972 and Decision No 243/2012/EU (Digital Networks Act), with annexes, COM/2026/16 final, January 2026, accessible here; 

3.2. April

3.2.1. Europe

3.2.1.1. Portugal

  • Presidência do Conselho de Ministros, Decreto-Lei n.º 85/2026, de 13 de abril, Cria a Rede de Simplificação e Tecnologias do Estado (Decree-Law No. 85/2026, of April 13, Creates the State Simplification and Technologies Network), Diário da República, 1.ª Série, N.º 71, April 2026, accessible here; 

4. Litigation & case-law

4.1. March

4.1.1. Europe

4.1.1.1. European Union​​

  • Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Advocate General Ćapeta: Member States may exclude hardware and software from 2G-4G and 5G telecommunications infrastructure on the basis that the manufacturer of that equipment poses a risk to national security, Advocate General’s Opinion in Case C-354/24 | Elisa Eesti, March 2026, accessible here; 


B. Digital finance, digital economy and financial technology (fintech)
1. Research conducted by individuals, companies, associations and universities​

1.4. April

1.4.1. Asia

1.4.1.1. Hong Kong

  • FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Position Paper: Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services, The Way Forward for Hong Kong, Strategic Advisory Council on AI in Financial Services, April 2026, accessible here; 

2. Reports, guidelines, recommendations and other documents published by regulatory and supervisory authorities, international organizations, and other public institutions and agencies
2.1. January
2.1.1. International

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen (OECD), Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalisation of the Economy - Administrative Guidance on the Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two): Side-by-Side Package, Inclusive Framework on BEPS, OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project, Janeiro 2026, accessible here;

  • ​Alonso Carrillo et al., Project FuSSE (Fully Scalable Settlement Engine) - Exploring the scalable, flexible and secure design of modern settlement engines, BIS Innovation Hub, Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Central Bank of Chile, Bank of Canada, January 2026, acessible here; 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Supervision of artificial intelligence in finance - Challenges, policies and practices, OECD Artificial Intelligence Papers No. 54, January 2026, accessible here; 

2.1.2. Europe

2.1.2.2. United Kingdom

  • House of Commons, Artificial intelligence in financial services - Fifteenth Report of Session 2024–26, HC 684, Treasury Committee, POST, UK Parliament, January 2026, accessible here; 

2.1.3. South America

2.1.3.1. Brazil

  • Rui Xu, Fintech Competition and Banks’ Shrinking Margins in Brazil, International Monetary Fund, WP/26/7, January 2026, accessible here; 

​2.2. February
2.2.1. International​

  • Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), KPMG & Quinlan & Associates, Fintech Promotion Blueprint, February 2026, accessible here; 

2.3. March

2.3.1. International

  • Juan-Carlos Crisanto et al., In data we trust? Emerging policy and supervisory approaches to AI data use in financial services, Bank for International Settlements (BIS), FSI Insights on policy implementation no 73, March 2026, accessible here; 

2.3.2. Europe

2.3.2.1. European Union

  • Katarzyna Budnik, Digital banking and the evolving monetary policy transmission, European Central Bank (ECB), Working Paper Series No 3206, March 2026, accessible here; 

  • European Central Bank (ECB), Appia – paving the way for a future-ready, integrated financial ecosystem leveraging tokenisation and DLT, March 2026, accessible here; 

2.4. April

2.4.1. International

  • Tobias Adrian, Tokenized Finance, International Monetary Fund (IMF), NOTE/2026/001, April 2026, accessible here; 

2.2.1. Europe

2.2.1.1. United Kingdom​

3. Legislations, regulations, other legislative instruments
3.1. XXX
3.1.1. XXX
3.1.1.1. XXX


C. Digital markets & services
1. Research conducted by individuals, companies, associations and universities
1.1. June
1.1.1. Europe
1.1.1.1. European Union
2. Reports, guidelines, recommendations and other documents published by regulatory and supervisory authorities, international organizations, and other public institutions and agencies
2.1. January
2.1.1. Europe
2.1.1.1. European Union​

  • Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) – Unit E.3: Future Internet & Directorate-General for Digital Services (DG DIGIT) – Unit B.2: Interoperability and Digital Government, Towards European open digital ecosystems, Call for evidence for an initiative (without an impact assessment), European Commission, January 2026, accessible here; 

2.2. March

2.2.1. Europe

2.2.1.1. European Union

  • Official Journal of the European Union, Very large online platforms and very large online search engines designated pursuant to Article 33(4) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), C/2026/1654, March 2026, accessible here; 

3. Legislations, regulations, & other legislative instruments

3.1. April

3.1.1. Europe

3.1.1.1. Portugal​

  • Assembleia da República Portuguesa, Lei n.º 12-A/2026, de 15 de abril, Assegura a execução, na ordem jurídica interna, do Regulamento dos Serviços Digitais, altera o Decreto-Lei n.º 7/2004, de 7 de janeiro, e a Lei da Organização do Sistema Judiciário e revoga o Decreto-Lei n.º 20-B/2024, de 16 de fevereiro (Ensures the implementation, within the domestic legal order, of the Digital Services Regulation, amends Decree-Law No. 7/2004, of January 7, and the Law on the Organization of the Judicial System, and revokes Decree-Law No. 20-B/2024, of February 16.), Diário da República, Suplemento 1.ª Série, N.º 73, April 2026, accessible here; 

4. Litigation & case-law
4.1. September
4.4.1. Europe
4.4.1.1. European Union

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