- Date
- November 19, 2025
- Kind
- Regulatory change
- Significance
- Moderate
On November 19, 2025, the European Commission published its Digital Omnibus proposals, a package meant to simplify several EU digital rules. For marketers, the part that drew attention was a proposed change to how websites ask for consent to use cookies and similar technologies.
What was proposed for cookies
- A single-click option to reject.
- A six-month pause before a site may ask again after someone refuses.
- Respect for browser and operating-system signals.
- Moving the cookie rules into the GDPR, as a new Article 88a.
Where it stands
The Council adopted the AI Omnibus on June 29, 2026. The Data Omnibus, which would carry the cookie rules, was still being negotiated in mid-2026, and the Council’s June 2026 working text removed the cookie-consent provisions. The GDPR and ePrivacy rules remain in force and no new obligation exists.
Why it matters
It showed where regulators wanted consent to go: simpler for users, with less banner fatigue and more control at browser level. Marketers should not rebuild consent flows around a proposal that is not law, but should expect pressure toward simpler consent and browser signals.
What happened next
As of mid-2026 the cookie provisions had been dropped from the Council's working text; they could return in negotiations, and current rules apply meanwhile.