Noerr European Data Legislation & Case Law Report 1/2026

Over the past few years, the EU has significantly expanded its regulatory framework for the data economy and data protection. Together with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Governance Act (DGA), Data Act (DA) and Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), a series of further directly applicable regulations and numerous other legal acts form the highly complex new European data law. Case law by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and European General Court (EGC) is continuously shaping and sharpening the regulatory landscape.

In May 2025, we launched our new interactive European Data Legislation & Case Law Trackers. Our Legislation Tracker helps you stay up to date on relevant European legal acts – including proposals that are still in the legislative process. Our Case Law Tracker provides a comprehensive overview of ECJ and EGC case law, including pending cases.

Following major legislative milestones in 2024, 2025 was again a busy year in terms of data legislation: applicability of the AIA and the DA, entry into force of the European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDSR) and adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation Enforcement Regulation (GDPRER). New proposals of the Commission for a Simplifying the Single Market Regulation (SSMR) and Digital Omnibus Regulation (DOR) aim to simplify European data law across the board. It remains to be seen whether future legislation will significantly reshape the EU regulatory framework for the data economy and data protection.

The number of data law cases pending before the European courts remains at a record high. In 2025, the ECJ and EGC handed down some landmark decisions. Looking at the number of pending cases, it is likely that we will see even more data law rulings in 2026.

Our first Noerr European Data Legislation & Case Law Report 1/2026 summarises essential data legislation and case law of the past year: