Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen has confirmed that the European Commission will issue a formal response to the European citizens' initiative 'Stop destroying videogames' by 27 July 2026, but stopped short of proposing concrete funding or regulatory measures. In a written answer to a parliamentary question from MEP Catherine Griset (PfE), Virkkunen stated that the initiative remains under examination and that the forthcoming communication will clarify legal and political conclusions, actions, and timelines. However, she emphasised that any agreements between publishers and AI firms for maintaining or exploiting discontinued games rest solely on publishers' free contractual discretion, and that the Commission does not plan to increase EU intervention or funding in the sector.
The reply comes amid ongoing debates across EU institutions on AI regulation and digital rights. On 14 April 2026, the European Parliament's AFCO committee held a pivotal debate on the institutional implications of AI, where Metsola and Virkkunen clashed over the balance between cautious regulation and fostering innovation. That session also discussed the establishment of an EU AI observatory versus an agency, revealing institutional tensions. Two days later, on 16 April, Virkkunen faced off with MEP Axel Voss in the JURI committee over copyright reform, where she advocated for a comprehensive review of copyright rules—including exemptions, press publishers' rights, and platform transparency—while Voss urged a more conservative approach. Also on 16 April, the ITRE committee saw MEPs Thomas Schmidberger and Ioana Petrescu clash on digital sovereignty and AI regulation, with Schmidberger pushing for stronger EU oversight and Petrescu calling for limiting EU regulatory reach to preserve national competitiveness.
In the financial sector, Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque on 15 April proposed expanding the DLT Pilot Regime and integrating AI for EU financial markets, highlighting the Commission's shift from exploration to implementation. Meanwhile, the EMPL committee on the same day split over extending AI and platform work rules beyond platforms and on mental health safeguards, with some MEPs advocating for broader worker protections and others favouring a narrower focus. The AI Omnibus file also remains under negotiation: on 10 April, DOT Europe and a coalition of industry associations urged EU co-legislators to finalise a swift agreement, welcoming converging stances on fixed deadlines for high-risk AI systems and supporting the Parliament's Annex I position, while calling for a 12-month grace period for generative AI labelling.
Virkkunen's answer on game preservation thus reflects a broader pattern of cautious EU engagement with AI-related issues, prioritising contractual freedom and existing frameworks over new regulatory or funding commitments. The citizens' initiative, endorsed by 1.3 million signatories, pressed the Commission on potential EU-funded AI projects under Horizon Europe to preserve discontinued games. While the Commission's forthcoming communication may clarify its stance, the current policy stance preserves publishers' exclusive rights and avoids mandatory preservation, leaving consumers with limited control and AI firms without clear institutional support.