AI the Brussels Way: Simplifying the (De)Regulation?

Abstract

Brussels is on a crusade to strengthen the European Union (EU)'s competitiveness by "simplifying" the regulatory burdens stemming from its "rule-making" approach. As part of this effort, the European Commission introduced the Digital Omnibus, a series of regulatory interventions aimed at simplifying the EU's digital rules. This study examines stakeholder feedback from the consultation that preceded the initial proposal, focusing on its impact on the Artificial Intelligence Act. Specifically, it examines how different actors refer to and seek to influence such "regulatory simplification" within the context of three regulatory tools: artificial intelligence (AI) regulatory sandboxes, AI standards, and the general-purpose AI code of practice (GPAI CoP). Using discourse network analysis to examine actors’ regulatory positions, the results suggest that, within the simplification agenda: (1) there is little substance beyond an aim to delay implementation timelines; (2) AI standards are used as scapegoats for delays; (3) GPAI CoP is a contentious tool with diverse and conflicting interpretations of what regulatory "simplification" entails; and (4) AI regulatory sandboxes are not a priority for actors interested in shaping the Digital Omnibus. The findings contribute to understanding the EU's regulatory approach amid an apparent shift away from rule-making first to competition- and innovation first.

Received: 13 July 2026 | Revised: 1 September 2026 | Accepted: 22 September 2026

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares that she has no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available at https://github.com/anapaulagonzaleztorres/AI_Act_Digital_Omnibus_on _AI_Simplification/blob/main/data/eu_feedback_coded.csv.

Author Contribution Statement

Ana Paula Gonzalez Torres: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization.