The Senate of Romania has issued an opinion concluding that the European Commission's proposed Digital Networks Act complies with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, according to a cover note published by the Council of the European Union on 13 July 2026. The opinion, sent to the President of the Council on 1 July 2026, concerns the proposal for a regulation on digital networks (doc. 5600/26 - COM(2026)16), which aims to overhaul the EU's telecoms framework by 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.
The Romanian Senate's assessment is a procedural step in the EU's legislative process, where national parliaments scrutinize draft laws for compliance with the EU's division of powers. The opinion does not address the substance of the Digital Networks Act, such as its provisions on spectrum management, network investment, or consumer protection, but rather confirms that the proposal does not exceed what is necessary to achieve its objectives and that EU-level action is justified over national measures. This positive subsidiarity and proportionality check from Romania adds to the growing body of national parliamentary opinions on the file, though no prior coverage of other member states' positions is available.
The Digital Networks Act, proposed by the European Commission, represents a major reform of the EU's electronic communications sector, consolidating existing directives and regulations into a single framework. It seeks to stimulate investment in high-capacity networks, streamline spectrum coordination, and enhance consumer rights. The Romanian Senate's endorsement of the legal basis of the proposal removes one potential obstacle in the legislative process, but the file still requires approval from the European Parliament and the Council. The next steps will involve negotiations between the co-legislators, where substantive disagreements over issues such as network cost-sharing and spectrum assignment are expected to surface. Stakeholders including telecom operators, digital service providers, and consumer groups will be closely watching the progress of the Act, which could reshape the regulatory landscape for digital infrastructure in the EU.