18 February 2026
New rules for digital platforms: what does European regulation bring?
The implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union is entering a phase of full operational application, moving from a regulatory framework on paper to everyday practice for digital platforms. The new rules are already affecting how online platforms manage content, advertising, and recommender systems, setting higher standards of transparency and accountability.
From obligations to remove illegal and harmful content, to clearer notice-and-action and content moderation appeal procedures, and enhanced transparency requirements for algorithms, digital services in Europe are entering a new regulatory phase in which compliance becomes an integral part of the business model.
In such an environment, legal issues no longer follow digital development with delay; instead, they become an integral part of it. Algorithmic transparency, reporting obligations, systemic risk assessments, and the protection of users’ rights are emerging as key topics for platforms, regulators, and business users of digital services.
A particularly significant segment concerns the obligations of Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), which are required to regularly assess and mitigate systemic risks, including the dissemination of illegal content, disinformation, and negative effects on fundamental rights. In addition, transparency requirements for recommender systems raise new questions relating to trade secrets, competition, and regulatory oversight.
Further complexity arises from the fact that the Digital Services Act relies on supervisory mechanisms and centralized databases on content moderation, as well as standardized reporting in accordance with rules developed by the European Commission. As a result, compliance, internal documentation, and risk management acquire strategic importance for companies operating in the EU digital market.
For companies from Serbia, the DSA may be relevant even if they are not formally established in the EU, provided they offer digital services to users in the Union. This means that domestic tech companies, media platforms, and advertising intermediaries increasingly need to take DSA standards into account in their operations.
In practice, this means understanding regulatory obligations, adapting internal content moderation policies, and carefully structuring contractual relationships with technology and advertising partners. Compliance with the Digital Services Act is no longer a formality, but a matter of managing legal, business, and reputational risks.
Majstorović & Partners monitors the development of European digital regulation and provides legal support in the areas of regulatory compliance, digital policy, data protection, and contractual arrangements in the digital environment.
As digital platforms become key infrastructure of the modern market, user trust, transparency, and legal certainty are becoming just as important as technological innovation. It is precisely at the intersection of law, technology, and responsible business that a sustainable future for digital services is being built.