All posts tagged: EUs

EU’s Huawei hardliners get top court backing – POLITICO

EU’s Huawei hardliners get top court backing – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It is a win for China hawks, who have fought to impose tougher measures against Huawei — with strong backing from Washington. The EU has spent years trying to persuade national governments to voluntarily kick out Huawei and ZTE over concerns that their presence in European telecom networks could enable large-scale spying and surveillance by the Chinese government. It is now working on broader rules that seek to reduce the bloc’s reliance on foreign “high-risk” suppliers and limit foreign government control over its digital networks. The case was brought by Estonian telecom operator Elisa, which is seeking compensation for the costs of removing Huawei and is challenging whether the EU has the competence to ask for restrictions on Chinese vendors. Thursday’s opinion said national security authorities can follow EU guidance when imposing bans on Huawei. The Court of Justice is expected to issue its final ruling on the case later this year, and may take the opinion from Advocate General Tamara Ćapet into account. Laszlo Toth, head of Europe at global telecom lobby association GSMA, …

Inside the EU’s military innovation push

Inside the EU’s military innovation push

Published by skeptic

With €7.3bn allocated for defence research and capability development through 2027, the European Defence Fund is reshaping how Europe develops military technologies, strengthens industrial cooperation, and responds to a rapidly shifting security landscape. Europe’s defence landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. At the centre of that shift is the European Defence Fund (EDF), the European Union’s flagship programme designed to finance collaborative military research and development across the bloc. Established to strengthen Europe’s defence technological and industrial base, the EDF provides funding for multinational projects developing next-generation military capabilities. Its goal is not only technological innovation but also greater cooperation between European defence industries and armed forces. The programme runs from 2021 to 2027 with a total budget of roughly €7.3bn, making it one of the most substantial collective defence research initiatives ever launched in Europe. For decades, defence development across Europe was fragmented, with national programmes often duplicating efforts or producing systems that struggled to operate together. The EDF aims to address those inefficiencies by encouraging countries to design and build critical …

There Is Now an Open Path to a Different Iran, EU’s Kallas Says

There Is Now an Open Path to a Different Iran, EU’s Kallas Says

Published by Sam Flores

BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) – European Union ⁠foreign ⁠policy chief Kaja ⁠Kallas said on Sunday that the ​death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ‌was “a defining moment in ‌Iran’s history”. “What comes next is uncertain. ⁠But ⁠there is now an open path to a different ​Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape,” Kallas said on social media ​platform X.  “I’m in contact with partners, including those ⁠in ⁠the region that ⁠bear ​the brunt of Iran’s military actions, to find practical ​steps for de-escalation.”  Khamenei ⁠was killed on Saturday, Iranian state media announced, in Israeli and U.S. air strikes that pulverised his central Tehran compound.  European Commission ⁠President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that she ⁠spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah and that Europe stands “in full solidarity” with Jordan after Iranian strikes.  “With Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape,” Von ⁠der Leyen said X.  “At the same time, this moment carries …

Iran situation ‘perilous,’ says EU’s top diplomat – POLITICO

Iran situation ‘perilous,’ says EU’s top diplomat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the strikes in Iran “must not lead to a spiral of escalation that could threaten the Middle East, Europe and beyond.” In a post on X, she called Tehran’s counterattacks on U.S. bases in Persian Gulf countries “inexcusable and unjustifiable.” Kallas spoke to Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and is “coordinating closely with Arab partners to explore diplomatic paths,” she said in a post on X. Poland’s President Donald Tusk called on Polish citizens in Iran to stay safe and follow instructions of local authorities, in a post on X. “The unity of Poles on the issue of security is particularly important today,” he said. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said “the most important thing is to stop the strikes and any possible counterstrikes as quickly as possible” in a post on X. Cyprus has activated a plan for the “safe evacuation of citizens from nearby crisis areas (from the broader Middle East region)” via the country, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said in another post. In a video posted …

Spain defends EU’s flagship climate law against attacks from other capitals – POLITICO

Spain defends EU’s flagship climate law against attacks from other capitals – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Sánchez sent the paper to European Council President António Costa on Thursday, just as Italy launched a blistering attack on the ETS. Rome called for its suspension until after the reform is completed, claiming that the carbon price is driving up energy costs and acting as a “tax” on manufacturers. The Spanish paper takes the opposite view. “Dismantling the emissions trading system is the wrong answer to high energy prices,” the paper reads. “While some adjustments to the current system to reduce [price] volatility could [be] welcome, a misguided and rushed reform would risk distorting the price signal it has successfully been sending without bringing competitiveness gains.” Madrid joins Sweden in defending the system, which regulates around half of the bloc’s emissions and has successfully slashed pollution in half since 2005. In general, Spain writes, “we must advance and accelerate, not dilute, the green agenda. This is not just a moral imperative, but a lever for sustained, long-term competitiveness … Any slowdown in decarbonisation would play directly into our competitors’ hands.” Madrid also positions itself …

EU’s €90B plan to fund Ukraine in jeopardy as Hungary blocks deal – POLITICO

EU’s €90B plan to fund Ukraine in jeopardy as Hungary blocks deal – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Hungary’s threat to veto the loan is a major setback for Ukraine, whose coffers will begin running low on cash from April. Kyiv will struggle to sustain its war effort without fresh funds, leaving it at a disadvantage in ongoing peace talks with Russia. The first signs of trouble began earlier in the day on Friday. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU demanded that its national assembly get the standard eight weeks to scrutinize EU legislation during a meeting of envoys in Brussels, three EU diplomats told POLITICO. EU ambassadors were set to give their final approval for the loan ahead of Tuesday, which marks the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a fresh confrontation with Kyiv, Orbán is accusing the war-torn country of halting Russian gas to Hungary for political reasons. Ukraine rejects these claims, arguing that Russian strikes have damaged the energy infrastructure. The European Commission convened an emergency meeting earlier this week to solve the dispute over the Druzhba pipeline after Hungary and Slovakia retaliated by halting diesel supplies to Ukraine. EU leaders, including Orbán, agreed to the €90 …

Europe bashing: EU’s top diplomat rejects US talk of ‘civilizational erasure’

Europe bashing: EU’s top diplomat rejects US talk of ‘civilizational erasure’

Published by Sam Flores

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas pushed back on Sunday against Europe “bashing” by the United States. “Contrary to what some may say, ‘woke, decadent Europe’ is not facing civilizational erasure,” Kallas said on the last day of the Munich Security Conference.  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday reassured allies by saying Washington and Europe “belong together” – but insisted the continent must defend against mass immigration to protect its “civilization”. “The message that we heard is that America and Europe are intertwined, have been in the past and will be in the future. I think this is important,” Kallas said. But she added: “It is also clear that we don’t see eye to eye on all the issues, and this will remain the case.”  Officials in the Trump era have repeatedly extended their own heightened fears of immigration to Europe, often borrowing language from “replacement theory”, the brainchild of a French novelist that has become a rallying cry for the global far right.   In a National Security Strategy document published on December 5, the US administration …

Washington pushes back against EU’s bid for tech autonomy – POLITICO

Washington pushes back against EU’s bid for tech autonomy – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Europe and the U.S. “face the same sort of threat and the same threat actors,” said Cairncross, who advises Trump on cybersecurity policy. Rather than weaning off America, wean off China, he said: “There is a clean tech stack. It is primarily American. And then there is a Chinese tech stack.” Claiming that U.S. tech is as risky as Chinese tech is “a giant false equivalency,” according to Cairncross. “Personal data doesn’t get piped to the state in the United States,” he said, referencing concerns that the Beijing government has laws requiring firms to hand over data for Chinese surveillance and espionage purposes. The attempt to quell concerns is notable even if it may not change the direction of travel in Europe. The European Commission wants to boost homegrown technology with a “tech sovereignty” package this spring. It presented a cybersecurity proposal in January that, if approved, could be used to root out suppliers that pose security risks — including from America. “We want to ensure that we don’t have risky dependencies when it comes to …

The EU’s competitiveness conundrum – POLITICO

The EU’s competitiveness conundrum – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European leaders have spent the week talking about how to make the EU more competitive — first with industry heavyweights in Antwerp, then behind closed doors at a leaders’ retreat in Belgium. On this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton digs into what’s really behind the latest push to revive Europe’s economy. Are calls for deregulation and lower energy costs a genuine course correction — or another round of diagnosis without delivery? POLITICO’s Zia Weise, fresh from the industry summit in Antwerp, joins the discussion on how chemical giants and other industrial players are pressing for relief from climate and energy rules. Marianne Gros examines the backlash over Brussels’ simplification drive and growing concerns about transparency and democratic safeguards. And Carlo Martuscelli breaks down the political fault lines exposed at the Alden Biesen retreat — and why so much of Mario Draghi’s reform agenda remains stalled. Plus, Aitor Hernández-Morales joins us with the latest on political developments in Portugal. Source link

Von der Leyen and Merz clash over future of EU’s core climate law  – POLITICO

Von der Leyen and Merz clash over future of EU’s core climate law  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“This system is implemented to reduce CO2 emissions, and at the same time to enable the companies to come to CO2-free production lines. So if this is not achievable, and if this is not the right instrument, we should be very open to revising it, or at least to postpone it,” he said to loud applause from industry representatives. “We should avoid everything that is jeopardizing the competitiveness of our industry. I’m fully in line with all those who are saying we have to do more on climate change,” he added, but if policies come “at the cost of our industries, at the cost of the [jobs] in our industry, this is unacceptable. And that’s the reason why I’m in line with everyone who says if this is not the right instrument, we have to talk about that and we have to change it if it doesn’t work.” And while in a separate session, French President Emmanuel Macron warned against “killing” the ETS, he insisted: “Europe cannot define ambitious climate objectives while allowing its industrial …