All posts tagged: EUs

5 things to watch out for at EU’s crisis summit – POLITICO

5 things to watch out for at EU’s crisis summit – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“The longer things go on, the less bold any changes to the budget will be,” said an EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak frankly. “The clock is ticking.” If a leaders reach a deal on that timetable, it would be unusually fast by EU standards. Any breakthrough will depend on how much governments are willing to compromise. Talks on the budget are always tortuous, with wealthier governments in Northern Europe reluctant to pay more into the budget and skeptical about handing the European Commission more powers to impose taxes. Countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, by contrast, tend to back a bigger budget and broadly oppose cuts to farm subsidies and regional funding, traditionally the two biggest sections of the cash pot. To complicate matters further, the EU is due to start repaying €25 billion a year from 2028 on the joint debt it issued to cushion the economic fallout from the Covid pandemic. And there’s increasing pressure to connect the budget to geopolitics, with the Iran war potentially limiting how much the bloc will have …

The clock is ticking on the EU’s next budget – POLITICO

The clock is ticking on the EU’s next budget – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Brussels faces a narrowing window to strike a deal on its next long-term budget. EU leaders gather in Cyprus this week for a potential clash over the bloc’s €1.8 trillion plan — already dividing north and south, farmers and reformers, capitals and Brussels. Council President Antonio Costa wants momentum. But with proposed new EU taxes, debt repayments and looming elections on the table, compromise looks distant. On today’s episode, Ian Wishart and Ryan Heath break down what’s at stake — and why this battle is only just beginning. They also dig into the Commission’s new emergency energy package, as fears of a new crisis grow — driven by the war in Iran and disruption to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Plus: A rekindled Paris–Brussels romance raises awkward questions about power, politics and conflicts of interest. Got a question or a comment? Contact us on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Further reading: Source link

How the EU’s mega energy crisis plan will — and won’t — help – POLITICO

How the EU’s mega energy crisis plan will — and won’t — help – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Coordination is also an issue. While groups are regularly convened to discuss supply issues, most real coordination takes place bilaterally between the Commission and countries, according to two energy officials involved in such discussions. It’s no surprise one energy minister in a meeting earlier this month went so far as to call for a WhatsApp group to share information about supplies, and that the EU is looking into reviving a controversial effort to coordinate gas purchases. Earlier this week, the Netherlands went out on its own, launching emergency measures and announcing an additional release of oil stocks — bypassing the EU’s own glacial effort to coordinate the release. The draft of Wednesday’s proposals still broadly hews to the line set out by the EU executive as the war got going, focusing on providing better incentives for the green transition, including reduced grid tariffs and murky commitments to mobilize green funding. But these provisions have proved controversial, too, with some countries, especially in the rich North, arguing that expanding subsidies risks distorting the EU’s single market …

The EU’s Digital Gulag Is (Apparently) Ready To Roll

The EU’s Digital Gulag Is (Apparently) Ready To Roll

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Nick Corbishley via NakedCapitalism.com, “It is for parents to raise their children, and not the platforms.” Those were the words of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday as she announced the readiness of the EU’s online age verification, ahem, platform. As we’ve been warning since November 2024, these platforms are ultimately a Trojan Horse for digital identity systems, which are in turn intended to serve as the cornerstone for the digital gulags being quickly assembled around the world. What gets rarely mentioned in the public debate, including in Von der Leyen’s 11-minute speech below, is the fact that online age verification inevitable traps everyone, not just minors, in its web. “Protecting the children”, however, is always a seductive pretext for launching otherwise socially unacceptable policies. And there are few more socially unacceptable policies than the controlled death of online privacy and anonymity. It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms. The European Age Verification App is ready ↓ https://t.co/EumEPEJOI7 — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 15, 2026 To save readers from having to …

It Takes 2 Minutes to Hack the EU’s New Age-Verification App

It Takes 2 Minutes to Hack the EU’s New Age-Verification App

Published by skeptic

Planning a big night out at Madison Square Garden? Have fun—but don’t say we didn’t warn you. A WIRED investigation this week revealed new details about the private surveillance state instituted by MSG owner Jim Dolan and his head of security, John Eversole. According to court records and WIRED sources, visitors to the Garden and some other Dolan-owned venues have been subjected to face recognition, social media monitoring, in-person surveillance, and more. The US government’s warrantless wiretap powers hit a roadblock this week. Despite a push from President Donald Trump for a long-term reauthorization of the so-called Section 702 spy program, 20 Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted against a full reauthorization, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson to merely extend the program for an additional 10 days. Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley AI smartglasses have an image problem—for good reason. More than 70 civil society groups, including the ACLU and the National Organization for Women, sent a letter to the company this week, demanding that it abandon any plans it may have to equip its …

EU’s Kallas urges ‘heavy-handed’ Israel to end strikes in Lebanon – POLITICO

EU’s Kallas urges ‘heavy-handed’ Israel to end strikes in Lebanon – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Both Kallas and Guterres have accused Israel of endangering a ceasefire deal that U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week with Tehran, but which looks increasingly shaky as Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz over the attacks in Lebanon. But Israel shows no signs of backing down. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday his country would “continue to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination,” and “Whoever acts against Israeli civilians—will be struck.” Israel and the U.S. argue that Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire agreement. But Tehran has said it will only hold up its end of the deal if Israel stops its attacks in Lebanon, where Israel Defense Forces are attacking Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that is closely aligned with Iran. The criticism from Kallas is likely to further strain relations between the EU and Israel, which hit rock bottom over Israel’s war in Gaza, when Brussels downgraded its trading relationship with Israel. Further tensions have flared up amid strong criticism of violent West Bank settlers …

The inside story of how France clinched the EU’s new customs authority – POLITICO

The inside story of how France clinched the EU’s new customs authority – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The delegation toured the white tower that was to host the authority, visited the Flemish old town, and interrupted lessons at the European school, named after late Commission President Jacques Delors. At the end of the day, several guests acknowledged that being the first to declare was an advantage in itself. In reality, the behind-the-scenes lobbying had started far earlier, with France assuming the role of thought leader on how to cope with the exponential growth in e-commerce packages flooding into the EU from online retailers like China’s Shein and Temu. Paris sounded the alarm on unsafe products months before making waves with a unilateral move to impose its own handling fee on inbound parcels. An official in the European Parliament with direct knowledge of the vote said French officials had tested the waters on Lille’s chances during a visit to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport last May. “Most other candidates only really started in January, which was simply too late,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely on the day of …

How the EU’s lure for new members switched focus – POLITICO

How the EU’s lure for new members switched focus – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“EU membership has always offered stability and prosperity for European nations,” European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told POLITICO. “Now we see that those outside of the EU are increasingly aware that, in a world of competing influences, a seat at the table in the EU also offers increased security and protection.” Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a major contributor to the shift. But the biggest catalyst is how Donald Trump has acted since his return to the White House in 2025, according to four diplomats, three EU and two national officials familiar with the deliberations in accession candidate countries, who were granted anonymity to speak freely. Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on imports, his administration’s National Security Strategy that blamed the EU for hastening “civilizational erasure,” and his threat to seize Greenland — a territory of Denmark and a NATO ally — have all pushed countries toward Brussels, the diplomats said. Iceland looks as if it’ll be first out of the blocks, with Reykjavík having sped up its timetable for a referendum on …

EU’s Šefčovič confirms push for Western steel club with US and UK – POLITICO

EU’s Šefčovič confirms push for Western steel club with US and UK – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“I know that all of our U.K. friends would be very much interested in such a cooperation,” Šefčovič  said. The U.K. has long pushed for inclusion in a Western steel bloc, in the hopes that it could help Britain dodge the new 50 percent tariffs Brussels plans to impose. Britain has already moved in the same direction — tightening quotas on steel imports and raising tariffs above those quotas to 50 percent. “Because of global overcapacities, we have to adopt different safeguard measures,” said Šefčovič. “Americans did it. Canadians followed. We had to adopt our safeguard measures to simply save our steel industry. U.K. is following suit,” he said. Source link

Talks on EU’s €1.8T budget hinge on Hungarian election – POLITICO

Talks on EU’s €1.8T budget hinge on Hungarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Given the Hungarian leader’s success in remaining in power, 10 EU officials and diplomats, all granted anonymity to speak freely with POLITICO, outlined what they see as the worst-case scenario: Orbán securing a fourth term and derailing budget negotiations. “We are not in a rush, so if we win the elections, then we certainly don’t see the need to rush the agreement on the MFF through by the end of 2026,” said Hungarian Minister for European Affairs János Bóka. During negotiations to date, the Hungarian government has called for the links between EU payments and respect for democratic standards to be dismantled. Those standards, however, are a key priority for wealthy Northern European countries, whose contributions to the EU budget largely exceed the payouts they receive in return. “One can easily imagine how a discussion on the rule of law will be more difficult if a government [led by Viktor Orbán] that has had the most difficulties and recorded breaks of the rule of law stays in power,” said Jan Szyszko, Poland’s deputy minister for …