The European Union’s expanding digital rulebook is shaped by a set of implicit trade-offs between fundamental rights, security, and economic competitiveness. Although these priorities are publicly framed as complementary, they often conflict in practice.

This session introduces a trilemma framework that explains how these tensions operate as a hidden grammar of regulation, influencing the design and implementation of major EU digital policies from the GDPR to the DSA and the AI Act.

Drawing on recent research, the talk will show how EU policymaking has shifted from a predominantly rights-centred approach to more complex governance models that pursue multiple objectives without clearly defined hierarchies. Making these trade-offs explicit provides clearer insight into the politics driving digital regulation and helps reduce the uncertainty that complicates compliance and investment. Understanding these implicit priorities is essential for developing more transparent, democratic, and adaptable digital governance in the EU.