Europe3
The GDPR sets the global standard for data protection, requiring explicit opt-in consent before processing personal data of EU/EEA residents. For websites, non-essential cookies must be blocked until visitors actively consent. Pre-ticked boxes and implied consent are invalid.
Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive is the primary EU legal basis requiring cookie consent. It mandates prior informed consent before storing or accessing any information on a user's device, with narrow exceptions only for transmission necessity and explicitly requested services.
Denmark implements the ePrivacy Directive through the Cookie Order (Cookiebekendtgørelsen), administered by the Danish Business Authority. Cookie consent is a declared 2026 enforcement priority for Datatilsynet, which will examine whether Danish websites give users a genuine choice.