Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s newly appointed Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, is being urged to reconsider previous proposals as she prepares to approach the Digital Networks Act (DNA). A coalition representing civil society, the digital sector, and mobile operators has called for an evidence-based strategy focusing on competition, technology neutrality, and consumer protection.

The coalition includes the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) and aligns with EU Member States' opposition to certain DNA proposals carried over from the previous Commission. The joint statement issued by this group emphasizes rejecting outdated concepts such as network usage fees and arbitration mechanisms. It also advises against reducing or removing ex-ante regulation on dominant telecom operators and regulating cloud infrastructure without justification.

Signatories of the statement encourage Virkkunen to consider public consultations results, concerns from the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), and warnings from all 27 Member States voiced on December 6th regarding these policies.

Maria Teresa Stecher, CCIA Europe’s Policy Manager, stated: “Henna Virkkunen has a chance to lead with fresh thinking, but she must first break with failed ideas of the past, as Member States are also asking her to do.”

Stecher further added that if the Digital Networks Act comes into effect, it should focus on maintaining competition, net neutrality, and consumer welfare instead of supporting existing telecom operators. She warned that "proposals like network usage fees or artificial consolidation in the telecoms market would harm Europe’s digital transformation and fail to reflect the reality of how the internet works."