Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has voiced concern at the rise of disinformation. The MEP said it was “an absolute danger.” She was speaking at the University of Sorbonne in Paris on Monday. The Maltese deputy said, “Disinformation has affected our liberal democracies and societies since the turn of the…
Photo by Maximalfocus on Unsplash The EU Commission said it welcomes Monday’s agreement by G7 leaders on International Guiding Principles on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a voluntary Code of Conduct for AI developers under the “Hiroshima AI process.” President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was among those who subscribed to the G7 leaders’ statement issued by the 2023 Japan G7 presidency….
Photo by Neil Mark Thomas on Unsplash MEPs say they want to “underline” that the EU border force Frontex could do more to increase the EU and member states’ capacity to carry out search and rescue operations. It could do this, they say, by investing in appropriate assets for such operations. Regarding the shipwreck off the coast of…
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash The European Parliament’s committee on economic affairs has voted on several tax files that are of strategic importance for the future of taxation in the EU, including the report on taxation in times of crisis. In this report, MEPs managed to secure two important points – calling on the Commission to look…
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash The Commission has published the Special Eurobarometer on digitalisation of travel documents and facilitation of travel. The report explores EU citizens’ views and perceptions of travel policies, as well as the introduction and possible use of digital travel credentials. According to the survey, 68% of Europeans consider that digitalisation of travel documents is…
Photo by Laurentiu Morariu on Unsplash The landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has now been signed by almost half of all countries. This comes after a ceremony at the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where Sri Lanka acceded to the treaty and the Bahamas signed it. This means 97 states…
Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash Members of the European Parliament have voted on the new European Media Freedom Act. This is aimed at protecting the independence of journalists and the plurality of media across Europe. The move won wide political support in a plenary vote in Strasbourg. The Greens/EFA Group is among those who have fought for EU-level…
Photo by Sasha Pleshco on Unsplash MEPs want the EU to push for accession talks with Moldova. In a parliamentary resolution, MEPs have voted to reaffirm their commitment to Moldova’s future EU membership and want accession talks with Chişinău to launch before the end of the year. The Moldovan government has, MEPs say, “demonstrated its determination and ability”…
Photo by Danielle Rice on Unsplash A former Europe Minister in the UK has cast doubt on the new European Political Community (EPC). Denis MacShane is a widely respected political observer and served under Tony Blair’s premiership. The Labour veteran politician is partly dismissive of the EPC, the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron. It is, says MacShane,“basically…
Photo by Jinen Shah on Unsplash A campaign group says that MEPs “from centre-right and right-wing groups” have “consistently vote against measures to improve the welfare of farmed animals.” This is according to a new study of over 10,000 datapoints published on 13 October by Compassion in World Farming. The NGO slammed this “as a coordinated attack by political leaders…
