So you think every single website has cookie banners as some sort of political statement?
Isn’t the simpler answer that the EU like most governments is incompetent and didn’t think through their legislation even though it’s 99 sections and 11 chapters?
The EU knew exactly what they were doing. The requirement for explicit consent was entirely intentional.
It was websites and businesses that chose cookie walls over data minimisation. Most websites don't need a cookie wall or even a popup. Even ad supported websites can use context based advertising without any tracking whatsoever but the choice is clear.
It's not always a political statement to add a cookie wall. Some companies are too lazy to consider alternatives, others don't care enough about their users. This stuff has been coming for years and nobody cared until suddenly everyone was "surprised" and now years later everybody is still acting like this is a recent development.
The message is always clear: your convenience as a customer is worth less than your data.
My convenience as a customer was impacted by the laws in the EU. The law had no positive effect on my experience as a user.
Apple did more for privacy with a 30 line rule change on the App Store than the GDPR. As evidence by every company dependent on tracking admitting during earnings that they are losing money by the change. No company announced any effects by the GDPR.
Imagine that a private technology company knowing more about technology than the EU.
Isn’t the simpler answer that the EU like most governments is incompetent and didn’t think through their legislation even though it’s 99 sections and 11 chapters?