So, the European Union is reviewing parts of the GDPR to make it more compatible with innovation and competitiveness. Here is the irony. Many countries adopted GDPR almost word for word, treating it as a global benchmark. If the EU now streamlines key provisions, those who copied it may end up stuck with a stricter and heavier version than the EU itself. Instead of aligning with the single market, they risk drifting further from it and imposing higher compliance costs on their own firms while the EU reduces them.
And if they want to adjust, they will have to pay for another round of legislative and institutional changes. In other words: the countries that copied the GDPR most faithfully may be the ones most exposed now that the original is being softened. A neat illustration of how uncritical transplanting of legislation can backfire.