The Digital Services Act

What is the DSA in a nutshell?

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a proposal for a legislation that aims to update rules for online intermediaries and platforms services. Europe’s digital market has expanded in size and complexity with the rapid pace of technological change, so the DSA aims to update old rules to ensure a safe and accountable online environment that’s fit for the digital future.

The proposed new rules seek to help ensure the products consumers buy and the services they use are provided in accordance with European laws and standards and do not harm citizens, businesses, rightsholders and society at large.

The European Commission lists the priorities of its proposals as:

Better protect consumers and their fundamental rights online
Establish a powerful transparency and a clear accountability framework for online platforms
Foster innovation, growth and competitiveness within the single market

Download GESAC’s position on the Commission’s DSA proposal (March 2021)

Download GESAC’s responses to the DSA consultation (September 2020)

All our policies

Where do we stand at the moment?

The Commission has tabled a draft proposal of the legislation, to which interested parties and sectoral organisations like GESAC were invited to respond by end of March 2021.

You can find GESAC’s views on the Commission’s proposal here.

The proposal for a Regulation on the Digital Services Act will now be scrutinised, commented on, amended and agreed by the European Parliament and the Member States in order to be adopted as an EU law.

What are the key issues for GESAC?

News 13 March 2024

EU AI ACT : Joint statement from European creators and rightsholders

GESAC, alongside with a broad coalition of organisations in Europe’s creative and cultural sectors welcomes today's approval of the EU AI Act by the European Parliament, and thanks Members of the European Parliament for the essential role they have played in supporting creators and rightsholders throughout the legislative process. The EU AI Act is world-first legislation that regulates the development and use of AI and sets an example for responsible AI governance. Read the full statement here

News 01 February 2024

EU AI ACT : Joint statement from European creators and rightsholders

GESAC, alongside over 200 organisations in Europe’s cultural and creative sectors, calls on the Member States to show global leadership and approve the AI Act at the COREPER meeting scheduled on 2 February. Read the statement here.

News 17 January 2024

Press release: European Parliament adopts its Report on the Music Streaming Market

GESAC applauds the strong commitment of the EP to address creators’ concerns and welcomes the call for an EU legislation to ensure the transparency of and cultural diversity on all music streaming platforms. Strasbourg, 17 January 2024 – Today, the European Parliament plenary adopted the initiative report of MEP Ibán García del Blanco on “Cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market” with an overwhelming majority. The report acknowledges the significant problems faced by creators and suggests Union-level initiatives to set the ground for a fairer and more sustainable ecosystem in this ever-growing market.

News 11 December 2023

Press release: EU policymakers reach agreement on the AI Act

GESAC welcomes the recognition of the need for transparency and compliance with EU rules by providers of general-purpose AI models Brussels, 11 December 2023 – Following the EU decisionmakers’ announcement of having reached a political agreement on the EU AI Act at the end of a three-day trialogue meeting, GESAC welcomes the recognition on the need for providers of general-purpose AI models operating in the EU market to comply with EU copyright laws and minimum transparency obligations, which are indispensable for rightholders to exercise and enforce their rights.

News 28 November 2023

PRESS RELEASE: GESAC welcomes the report on the situation of authors in the music streaming market adopted in CULT Committee

Brussels, 28 November 2023 – GESAC welcomes the CULT Committee’s adoption of the initiative report on “cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market” prepared by MEP Ibán García del Blanco, which rightly highlights the significant problems faced by authors and composers in the music streaming market and calls for EU policy actions to correct the existing imbalances and ensure the market’s sustainability.