The undersigned organisations support the objective of the Digital Services Act (DSA) to increase digital innovation, online safety, and fundamental rights protection in the European Union Single Market.

Considering the importance of this file we take this opportunity to congratulate the Portuguese Presidency and the Member States for the significant progress at the Working Party and for the analysis included in the progress report to be discussed at the Competitiveness Council meeting on 27 May 2021.

We believe in the high level of ambition of the proposal, its overall objectives and the need for swift approval. We welcome the strong leadership that the Presidency has shown in remaining focused on the Digital Services Act and its overall objective. At the same time, we agree with the progress report that further work at technical level is required.

On the basis of the main political issues identified by the Presidency, we encourage all the national delegations to continue their analysis. The following issues deserve specific attention: a reaffirmation of the country of origin principle; an emphasis on “take-down” instead of “stay-down orders” for national authorities; flexible and effective uses for trusted flaggers of illegal content; and a proportionate approach to assessing new obligations for online platforms.

The DSA is an opportunity to harmonise and create a strong Digital Single Market. We applaud your substantive work done on the file and we look forward to exchanging information on how to address online safety in the most effective way.

You can find the PDF version of the letter here.

• Allied for Startups
• Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
• TechUK
• DOT Europe
• Informational Technology Industry Council (ITI)
• ACT The App Association