The who’s who of the Parliament’s tech committees

Many familiar faces are returning to the European Parliament’s committees that deal with tech policies, but several key figures have also left the Parliament or the committees.

The Parliament’s standing committees and subcommittees held their initial meetings in Brussels on Tuesday (23 July), electing new chairs and vice chairs for a two-and-a-half-year term.

The new MEPs will play a crucial role in shaping tech policy, with several new regulations expected in the next mandate.

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) addresses tech regulations affecting the market and consumers, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), focuses on development, innovation and industry. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) deals with privacy and data protection.

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)

Returning ITRE members include Bulgarian MEP Eva Maydell (EPP), who coordinated ITRE’s opinions on the AI Act and Chips Act; Pilar del Castillo (EPP, Spain), Data Act rapporteur; German Alexandra Geese (Greens), involved in AI and data privacy issues; and Dutch Baart Groothuis (Renew), rapporteur of the cybersecurity NIS 2 directive.

Henna Virkkunen (EPP, Finland), shadow rapporteur for the Cyber Resilience Act and the Digital Services Act (DSA), previously Finland’s Minister of Science and Technology, is also a member of ITRE. However, she is Finland’s candidate for European Commissioner so she might leave the Parliament.

A notable newcomer is Hungarian MEP Dóra Dávid (EPP), who was running for the first time and previously worked at Meta and the Commission’s legal service.

Finnish MEP Aura Salla also worked for Meta but is a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON). This likely means she will not directly work on tech policy but could work on policies to mobilise private capital for EU companies, which has been part of the drive for tech competitiveness.

Another newcomer to the Committee is Michael Bloss (Germany, Greens/EFA), who has shown interest in how technology can be integrated with environmental sustainability.

Cornelia Ernst (The Left), a shadow rapporteur for the draft law detecting and removing online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), left the Parliament.

ITRE’s new chair is Borys Budka (EPP, Poland), replacing Romanian MEP Cristian Bușoi (EPP).

Christophe Grudler (Renew, France), could take the lead on the upcoming EU Space Law, since another influential lawmaker with an eye for space, Niklas Nienaß (Germany, Greens/EFA) was not re-elected.

The two shadow rapporteurs for the satellite secure communication law (IRIS2) have diverged from ITRE. Massimiliano Salini (Italy, EPP) is no longer a full IMCO member, and Ivo Hristov (Bulgaria, S&D) was not re-elected.

There are no obvious leading MEPs for the EU’s new telecoms regulation. Most rapporteurs and shadows who worked on the only telecom regulation of the last mandate, the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, were not re-elected or have left the committee, except for Angelika Winzig (Austria, EPP).

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO)

Returning members include Alex Agius Saliba (Malta, S&D), shadow rapporteurs for the AI Act Kim van Sparrentak (the Netherlands, Greens), and Svenja Hahn (Renew, Germany), Andreas Schwab (Germany, EPP), rapporteur for the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and Christel Schaldemose (Denmark, S&D), rapporteur for the DSA.

Newcomers include the German Katrin Langensiepen (Greens/EFA), who talked about the accessibility of digital technologies, and the Irish Regina Doherty (EPP), formerly Ireland’s minister of employment affairs and social protection. Doherty has talked about improving capital markets to better support digital and green projects.

Paul Tang (the Netherlands, S&D), shadow rapporteur for the CSAM regulation, did not run for re-election.

Anna Cavazzini (Germany, Greens/EFA), who worked on policies related to digital rights and digital market fairness, was re-elected as chair of IMCO.

The rapporteur of the AI Act, Brando Benifei (Italy, S&D) is now a substitute member of the IMCO committee instead of a full member.

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)

Returning LIBE members include Jeroen Lenaers (Netherlands, EPP), involved in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Regulation; Juan Fernando López Aguilar (Spain, S&D), involved in the Schengen Information System (SIS); Birgit Sippel (Germany, S&D); rapporteur for the interim regulation on online child sexual abuse material (CSAM); and Moritz Körner (Germany, Renew), another MEP vocal about CSAM.

The Hungarian Anna Donáth (Renew), who worked on the political advertising law as a LIBE rapporteur, and Patrick Breyer (Greens, Germany), are no longer in the Parliament.

Javier Zarzalejos (Spain, EPP), the rapporteur of the CSAM file, was elected as the new chair of LIBE, replacing López Aguilar (Spain, S&D).

Markéta Gregorová (Greens, Czech Republic), the only remaining Pirate MEP in the Parliament, will likely try to defend privacy and anonymity as a substitute member for ITRE and LIBE.

Other tech-related MEPs

The Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) also has some returning MEPs related to tech,  such as Axel Voss (Germany, EPP), shadow rapporteur for the AI Act and rapporteur for the Parliament’s initiative for an AI Liability Directive; René Repasi (Germany, S&D), rapporteur for the Right to Repair Act and formerly IMCO member; and Sergey Lagodinsky (Germany, Greens), shadow rapporteur for the AI Act and the Product Liability Directive.

Damian Boeslager (Greens, Germany) who was shadow rapporteur in ITRE for the Data Governance Act and Data Act, was elected vice-chair of the ECON committee and will stay on ITRE as a substitute.

Dragoș Tudorache (Romania, Renew) did not run for re-election and is expected to take up a position at the Commission’s AI Office.

[Edited by Eliza Gkritsi/Zoran Radosavljevic]

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