International and Foreign Cyberspace Law Research Guide

This guide covers resources on various aspects of cyberspace law, including Internet governance, electronic commerce, privacy, cyber crime, cyber warfare, and cyber terrorism.

The E.U.’s Digital Single Market & Digital Strategy

The European Union’s Digital Single Market Strategy consists of a series of initiatives intended to promote e-commerce and the digital economy through the harmonization of national laws and the development of uniform technical standards to facilitate interoperability. The E.U.’s EUR-Lex database includes a comprehensive directory of E.U. legislation on the Digital Single Market. For information about the E.U.’s digital future, visit the European Commission’s Digital Strategy webpage.

Selected E.U. Legislation on the Digital Single Market

Listed below are some of the key pieces of E.U. legislation related to the Digital Single Market and Digital Strategy have been enacted to date.

Explanatory Notes on E.U. Legislation

For those unfamiliar with the different types of E.U. legislation, the following definitions are provided:

  • Regulations are binding legislative acts of general application that must be complied with upon entry into force by each member state. They supersede any conflicting national laws.
     
  • Directives are binding legislative acts of general application that establishes a goal or objective. Member states must enact legislation to implement directives by a specified date (a process known as transposition).
     

E.U. Case Law

E.U. courts are generating a growing body of case law involving legislation related to the Digital Single Market. To search by keyword for E.U. case law, use the Advanced Search option in the EUR-Lex database and select EU law and case-lawCase-law from the Collection menu in the center of the search form. Searchable databases of EU case law also are available on Lexis and Westlaw.

Secondary Sources on the E.U.’s Digital Single Market