A Digital Magna Carta? The European Declaration Of Digital Rights

On January 26, 2022, the European Commission published its proposal for a "European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade". The Declaration transposes fundamental rights of EU citizens into the digital sphere, building on previous declarations and on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. It also paints the "bigger picture" for many recent legislative initiatives in the EU by comprehensively codifying various specific principles that have already been guiding EU institutions in their efforts to create a "digitalized" legislative framework. Even though the declaration is a political declaration, and not binding legislation, it will still have an indirect effect on any company doing business digitally in the EU because future legislation will surely incorporate and be aligned with these new principles.