Digital
EU ‘data sovereignty’: opportunities and challenges
In November 2018, the European Commission presented its Digital Strategy, where it set the vision to become a ‘digitally transformed, user-focused and data-driven administration by 2022’.
EU needs to focus on legislation in the digital sphere, MEP Angelika Niebler says
The EU has proven to be successful in legislating in the digital age but it needs to keep up the work to avoid being left behind, because "the digital revolution has been moving faster than legislation", MEP Angelika Niebler (EPP, Germany) told EURACTIV in a written interview.
Democracy and Digital: trusted media and platform regulation
Democratic debates require trusted information, less economic pressure on media, and more policy pressure on platforms. Supporting citizens’ choices, three concepts will help the von der Leyen Commission: ‘co-regulation’, ‘trust indicators’, ‘systemic publishing platforms’. This open letter to the new...
With new focus on China, NATO patches up stormy summit
NATO leaders wrapped up their acrimonious 70th-anniversary meeting in relative harmony on Wednesday (4 December), bridging a series of intense internal divisions and agreeing to focus more on the challenge of China's "growing international influence" and military might.
The role of ethics in artificial intelligence and data usage
The EU’s digital agenda for the next mandate will be marked by a series of broad-ranging reforms, from artificial intelligence and data protection to digital tax. However, the issue of ethics in the digital field continues to be at the centre of the debate, namely in regulating AI and data usage.
CO2-tracking satellites crucial for climate efforts, say space experts
Current Earth observation technologies are not accurate enough when it comes to monitoring carbon dioxide emissions, according to delegates at the EU’s space week in Helsinki. A new system set to launch in 2025 should change all that.
We welcome Chinese investment, Greece’s digital minister says
The Greek government is open to the idea of further Chinese investment into a range of public and private sectors, including in the field of telecommunications, the country's digital minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, told EURACTIV on Tuesday (3 December).
Should the EU embrace artificial intelligence, or fear it?
Advances in machine learning are progressing rapidly, and governments are struggling to keep up. The EU has emerged as the world’s regulator in this space, but some fear it's stifling European innovation.
The rising clout of digital media and the UK election
Campaigning for the decisive UK election on December 12 is going full tilt. As polarisation over Brexit overshadows Britain’s notoriously hard-to-call ballot, Jess Smee explains the impact of the media and, in particular, of digital channels.
Commission to present revamped ePrivacy proposal
The European Commission will present a revised ePrivacy proposal as part of the forthcoming Croatian Presidency of the EU, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton announced on Tuesday (3 December), after previous talks failed to produce an agreement among member states.
US vows 100% tariffs on French Champagne, cheese, handbags over digital tax
The US government on Monday (2 November) said it may slap punitive duties of up to 100% on $2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, after concluding that France's new digital services tax would harm US tech companies.
Facebook renews calls for EU regulation in ‘fight for the soul of the internet’
An ideological 'fight' is tacking place worldwide between those who want to restrict open access to the internet and those who want to maintain a free and open web within necessary regulatory frameworks, Facebook's VP for Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, has said. VideoPromoted content
No time to waste – #EUindustry calls new Commission to action
Orgalim Director General Malte Lohan shares the views of Europe’s technology industries as new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her team take office – calling for a strategy that puts industrial innovation at the heart of the EU’s...
European Space Agency gets astronomical budget
The European Space Agency (ESA) will enjoy a budget of €14.4 billion over the next five years, after the agency’s 22 member states agreed on Thursday (28 November) to increase funding for space exploration.
Von Der Leyen urged to prioritise single market to counter slowdown
The European economy is undergoing a rapid transition, with digital technology and climate change needs set to transform normal commerce. Is the EU’s single market flexible enough to handle the change?
EU countries fail to agree on privacy rules governing WhatsApp, Skype
EU efforts to create a level playing field between telecoms operators and Facebook’s WhatsApp and Microsoft unit Skype stalled on Friday after member countries failed to agree on the scope of proposed rules.
No progress in UN talks on regulating lethal autonomous weapons
Attempts to regulate lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWs), often dubbed as “killer robots”, have once again ended in a stalemate as UN talks in November produced few results. Europe, meanwhile, is struggling with its role in the regulation efforts.
Digital Brief: Tech Biopower
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “There can be an issue of biopower when you have a relationship where there is indeed a giant that...
NATO braces for the new space age
NATO foreign ministers have formally recognised outer space as the fifth military frontier alongside air, land, sea and cyber on Wednesday (20 November), in response to growing concerns over protecting satellite and navigation assets from enemy interference.
Amid NATO tensions, Estonian President highlights Russia risk
NATO should be ready to defend Estonia should the country face risks emanating from its neighbour Russia, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has told EURACTIV. Her comments came following French President Macron's recent claim that the alliance is 'brain dead.'
Vestager takes aim at ‘biopower’ of tech giants
Global tech giants have been sowing the seeds of an economy predicated on 'biopower', amid the EU's attempts to rein in their dominance, the bloc's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
The Brief, powered by CEPI – Survival of the unfittest
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will face off this evening in the UK’s first presidential-style debate – the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party lost a court battle to be part of it. The BBC and Sky will hold their own debates with all four party leaders.OpinionPromoted content
The CTOs making technology work for Europe
In companies across Europe, Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) are unlocking the full potential of innovation and human ingenuity – transforming lightbulb inspiration into real-world solutions that drive growth while addressing the big challenges Europe faces.