The Digital Services Act (DSA) provides a framework for cooperation between the Commission, EU and national authorities to ensure platforms meet its obligations.
To ensure an efficient enforcement of the DSA, the Commission is building an enforcement network of relevant European entities, national authorities and leading experts in the field covered by the Digital Services Act (DSA).
This cooperation framework will support the Commission and Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) in the supervision, enforcement and monitoring of the Regulation together with the Commission.
Administrative Arrangements
The Commission is signing administrative arrangements with national regulators to support the enforcement of the DSA. They will allow for closer cooperation on common issues, as well as allow for the sharing of information and expertise. The Commission has so far signed administrative agreements with:
- The Australian eSafety Commissioner (the independent regulator for online safety in Australia).
- ERGA (The European regulators group for audio visual media services)
- OfCom (The media regulator of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
Ahead of the 17 February 2024 deadline for Member States to appoint Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs), which are national authorities responsible for the Digital Services Act and members of the Board of DSCs, the Commission signed administrative agreements with several authorities to reinforce the response to the spread of illegal content:
- France (Autorité de regulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique, Arcom)
- Ireland (Coimisiún na Meán)
- Italy (Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni, AGCOM)
- Netherlands (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, ACM)
European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency
The Commission launched the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT) in April 2023, a first-of-its-kind scientific centre in Seville. ECAT will support the Commission and national authorities in monitoring compliance with the DSA.
Among other things, ECAT:
- conducts technical tests on algorithmic systems to understand their functioning;
- analyses transparency reports, risk assessments and independent audits;
- supports investigations and inspections;
- identifies emerging risks associated with the use of VLOPs/VLOSEs;
- acts as a knowledge hub for research conducted thanks to access to data provided by the DSA.
To help it in its work, ECAT has signed a cooperation agreement with the French Centre “Pole d’expertise du Regulation du Numérique”, one of the world’s first data science teams working on the issues covered by the DSA. It has also appointed the members of the special group on the EU code of conduct on age-appropriate design, which kicked off its work on 13 June 2023.
Related Content
Big Picture
The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act aim to create a safer digital space where the fundamental rights of users are protected and to establish a level playing field for businesses.
See Also
Under DSA, trusted flaggers are responsible for detecting potentially illegal content and alert online platforms. They are entities designated by the national Digital Services Coordinators.
The European Board for Digital Services is an independent advisory group that has been established by the Digital Services Act, with effect from 17 February 2024.
The DSA (Digital Services Act) whistleblower tool allows employees and other insiders to report harmful practices of Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines (VLOPs/VLOSEs)
Digital Services Coordinators help the Commission to monitor and enforce obligations in the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The Digital Services Act (DSA) details a range of actions to promote transparency and accountability of online services, without hindering innovation and competitiveness.
This page provides an overview of the designated Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) supervised by the Commission and the main enforcement activities.
Since August 2023, platforms have already started to change their systems and interfaces according to the Digital Services Act (DSA) to provide a safer online experience for all.
The enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) includes a full set of investigative and sanctioning measures that can be taken by national authorities and the Commission.
Very large online platforms and search engines are those with over 45 million users in the EU. They must comply with the most stringent rules of the DSA.
Find out how the DSA can make the online world safer and protect your fundamental rights.
The European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT) is committed to improved understanding and proper regulation of algorithmic systems.