Report 23 Feb 2026

European Cybersecurity Regulations In 2026 And Beyond: Big Changes Are Coming – InSight Analysis

The European Union has launched the most ambitious regulatory program for cybersecurity in its 50-year history of digital security. For the first time, a comprehensive legal framework will cover the entire digital ecosystem, including network infrastructure (NIS2), financial systems (DORA), product security (CRA), artificial intelligence (AI Act), critical entities (CER), and digital identity (eIDAS 2.0).

To update current regulations, the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus package proposed in November 2025 and the Cybersecurity Act 2 (CSA2) proposal in January 2026 will be the most significant revisions of EU digital regulations since the original NIS Directive (2016).

These initiatives combined mark a shift in the EU’s approach, from regulatory expansion to regulatory consolidation, driven by competitiveness concerns highlighted in the Draghi and Letta reports. For compliance teams and technology vendors, these changes will bring both immediate relief and new strategic challenges. The goals of this multi-regulation review are:

  • Centralization: ENISA will become the operational hub for incident reporting, certification, and vulnerability coordination.
  • Harmonization: Elimination of national fragmentation through maximum harmonization provisions.
  • Strategic autonomy: Supply chain security as a binding EU competence rather than voluntary guidance.
  • Simplification: Reduced administrative burden combined with stronger enforcement mechanisms.

Recommended advisory: PAC Leadership Session – Cybersecurity Compliance