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☆ EU Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Slovakia's Criminal Law Reforms
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - European Union lawmakers said on Wednesday they had "deep concern" over Slovakia's planned criminal code changes and shutting a special prosecutor's office, piling on criticism of the government's plan to fast-track the changes. The European Parliament, in a resolution approved by 496 of the 630 lawmakers who voted, said the changes needed more scrutiny and called on the European Commission to take action "to safeguard the rule of law and judicial independence". Slovak President Zuzana Caputova has threatened to veto the legislation, although Fico's government will be able to override her move. According to Slovak media, 40 people have been sentenced while another 130 are being investigated or tried. The EU's justice commissioner Didier Reynders said in mid-December the Commission could take action against Slovakia if it enacts criminal law changes that violate EU laws.

Persons: Robert Fico's, Zuzana Caputova, Didier Reynders, Jan Kuciak, Fico, Daniel Lipsic, Jason Hovet, Ros Russell Organizations: Reuters, Union, European Commission, European Union, The, USP Locations: Western, Poland, Hungary, United States, EU, Slovak, Slovakia, Prague

☆ EU clears up to 1.2 bln euros of aid for cloud computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Tuesday up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.30 billion) of state aid for a European cloud computing project to try to boost the involvement of EU business in a field dominated by U.S. companies. Those countries will provide up to 1.2 billion euros in public funding, which in turn is expected to unlock 1.4 billion euros in private investments, the European Commission said. The European cloud technology project features 19 companies, including French companies Atos (ATOS.PA) and Orange (ORAN.PA), Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Germany's SAP (SAPG.DE), Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) and Telefonica Espana (TEF.MC). The three biggest players in cloud computing are Amazon (AMZN.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O).

Persons: Yves Herman, Didier Reynders, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Piotr Lipinski, Philip Blenkinsop, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Commission, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Infrastructure, Services, IPCEI CIS, Union, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, Telecom Italia, Telefonica Espana, Microsoft, Google, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain

Key to the agreement signed Thursday is a massively controversial amnesty that could benefit Puigdemont and thousands of other secessionists. Puigdemont is one of several Catalan leaders who fled justice after an illegal independence referendum was held in 2017. 1 for many Spaniards, and Catalan independence a politically toxic issue, some wonder why Sánchez, who has long opposed any amnesty, is now pushing for it. Those include the two pro-secession Catalan parties who led the unsuccessful 2017 breakaway attempt. A LEGAL QUAGMIREAny amnesty approved by Spain's Parliament is likely to be contested by the opposition parties and several courts in Spain.

Persons: — Spain's, Pedro Sánchez ’, Carles Puigdemont, Sumar —, Sánchez, Junts, QUAGMIRE, Didier Reynders, Spain’s, ___ Wilson Organizations: MADRID, Socialist, WHO, AMNESTY, Sánchez's Socialists, Forces, Popular Party, Vox, Police, Socialists, Junts, Basque Country, Court, European Union Locations: Catalunya, Catalonia, Spain, Spain's, Puigdemont, CATALONIA, Barcelona, Madrid, Basque, Navarra, Belgium

Chew will meet Breton on Nov. 6 and Jourova and Reynders on Nov. 7, a TikTok spokesperson said. He will update the commissioners on TikTok's data security regime called Project Clover which started to store European user data locally this year, a TikTok spokesperson said. The company has a data centre in Dublin, Ireland, and is building two more in Ireland and Norway. Breton last month gave TikTok an Oct. 25 deadline to provide information on its crisis response measures. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shou Zi Chew, Online Harms, Thierry Breton, Vera Jourova, Didier Reynders, TikTok, Chew, Breton, Foo Yun Chee, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Jason Neely Organizations: Energy, Commerce, Safeguard, Online, Capitol, Breton, Digital Services, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, BRUSSELS, EU, Brussels, Israel, Gaza, Reynders, Dublin, Ireland, Norway

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Thursday ordered U.S. biotech giant Illumina to undo its $7.1 billion purchase of cancer-screening company Grail because it closed the deal without approval of regulators in the 27-nation bloc. The EU already slapped a $475 million fine on Illumina over the summer for jumping the gun on the acquisition without its consent. Allowing the deal to stand would have undermined the credibility of EU regulators. The EU accused Illumina and Grail of knowingly and deliberately merging before getting clearance in what amounted to a vital infringement of the rules. Illumina must “restore the situation prevailing before” the acquisition, regulators said, and how Illumina divests itself of Grail also needs EU approval.

Persons: Didier Reynders, Illumina, ”, Grail Organizations: Union, Thursday, EU, Companies, European Commission, Illumina, Regulators, Federal Trade Commission Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, U.S, San Diego

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's executive arm said Monday it is blocking leading U.S. online travel agency Booking from acquiring Sweden's flight booking provider Etraveli Group because it would have allowed it to increase its dominant position on the market on the continent. The European Commission said it had warned Booking Holdings about its concerns but that the remedies offered by the company were not sufficient. “Bans are rare, and today’s decision is in fact the first merger to be blocked this year,” EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said. According to the European Commission, online travel agencies handle transactions worth more than 100 billion euros ($106 billion) per year. Political Cartoons View All 1176 Images

Persons: “, Didier Reynders Organizations: Etraveli, European Commission, Holdings, EU Locations: BRUSSELS

For the Biden administration, “the only thing they can pretty much do to counteract Saudi cuts is to bring more oil into the market from other countries,” León said. “Iran and Venezuela are the best candidates,” he added, even if it’s politically unpalatable to fully reopen talks with them. Domestic producers of oil from shale won’t fill the void in the short term. The SPAC buying Donald Trump’s social network gets more time for its deal. Shareholders in Digital World Acquisition Corporation voted to give the firm 12 more months to close its merger with Truth Social.

Persons: Biden, ” León, León, ’, Margrethe Vestager, Didier Reynders, Vestager, Donald Trump’s Organizations: European Investment Bank, European Commission, Truth Locations: Iran, Venezuela, States, Washington

☆ EU seals new US data transfer pact, but challenge likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced a new data transfer pact with the United States on Monday, seeking to end the legal uncertainty plaguing thousands of companies that transfer personal data across the Atlantic. The move was immediately criticised by non-profit group noyb, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, which said it would challenge the agreement. U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the data transfer pact and said it reflected a "joint commitment to strong data privacy protections." Earlier this year, the EU's privacy watchdog, the European Data Protection Board, said the latest data agreement still fell short and urged the commission to do more to protect Europeans' privacy rights. Europe's top court scuppered the previous two deals after challenges by Schrems because of concerns about U.S. intelligence agencies' accessing European citizens' private data.

Persons: Max Schrems, Joe Biden, Didier Reynders, Schrems, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, Foo Yun Chee, Kanishka Singh, Philip Blenkinsop, Christina Fincher, Leslie Adler Organizations: European Commission, Atlantic, European Court, Justice, Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Data Protection, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, Washington

☆ EU seals new US data transfer pact but challenge ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, July 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission announced a new data transfer pact with the United States on Monday, seeking to end the legal uncertainty plaguing thousands of companies which transfer personal data across the Atlantic. However, the move was immediately criticised by non-profit group noyb, led by privacy activist Max Schrems, which said it would challenge the agreement. The EU executive said measures taken by the United States ensured an adequate level of protection for Europeans' personal data transferred across the Atlantic for commercial use. It said new binding safeguards, such as that limiting U.S. intelligence services' access to EU data to what is "necessary and proportionate" and the setting up of a Data Protection Review Court for Europeans, address the concerns raised by Europe's top court. Earlier this year, EU privacy watchdog the European Data Protection Board said the latest data agreement still fell short and urged the Commission to do more to protect Europeans' privacy rights.

Persons: Max Schrems, Didier Reynders, Schrems, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, Foo Yun Chee, Philip Blenkinsop, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Commission, EU, Atlantic, European Court, Justice, Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, European Data Protection, Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, EU

A deal to ensure that data from Meta, Google and scores of other companies can continue flowing between the United States and European Union was finalized on Monday, after the digital transfer of personal information between the two jurisdictions had been thrown into doubt because of privacy concerns. The decision adopted by the European Commission is the final step in a yearslong process and resolves — at least for now — a dispute about American intelligence agencies’ ability to gain access to data about European Union residents. The debate pitted U.S. national security concerns against European privacy rights. The accord, known as the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, gives Europeans the ability to object when they believe their personal information has been collected improperly by American intelligence agencies. A new independent review body made up of American judges, called the Data Protection Review Court, will be created to hear such appeals.

Persons: Didier Reynders, Merrick B, Garland, Gina Raimondo Organizations: Meta, Google, European Union, European Commission, European, U.S Locations: United States, European Union

☆ EU, US concerned about Polish law that could ban people from public office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS/WARSAW, May 30 (Reuters) - The European Commission and U.S. State Department have expressed concern about a new Polish law they say could effectively ban individuals deemed to have acted under Russian influence from holding public office without providing proper judicial review. The law, which Poland's president on Monday said he would sign into law, was developed by the eurosceptic and nationalist ruling PiS party ahead of parliamentary elections due in October or November. Poland's foreign ministry rejected the criticism, saying the law provided for "due process in a fair procedure". "We have a special concern now about the situation in Poland with the creation by law of a special committee able to deprive citizens, individuals, from their right to be elected to public office," EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said. Any party subject to the commission's decision will have the right to appeal in an administrative court, the ministry said.

BRUSSELS, March 6 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms' (META.O) WhatsApp has agreed to be more transparent about changes to its privacy policy introduced in 2021, the European Commission said on Monday, following complaints from consumer bodies across Europe. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and the European Network of consumer authorities told WhatsApp last year that it had not clarified the changes in plain and intelligible language, violating the bloc's laws. WhatsApp has now agreed to explain changes to EU users' contracts and how these could affect their rights, and has agreed to display prominently the possibility for users to accept or reject the changes and ensure that users can easily close pop-up notifications on updates. The company also confirmed that users' personal data is not shared with third parties or other Meta companies, including Facebook, for advertising purposes. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The most contentious reforms for those in Poland's ruling camp concern the judicial system. To become law, the bill needs to be signed by President Andrzej Duda. "We will now continue to follow the next steps in the legislative process," Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice, said on Twitter. Relaxing rules on wind farm investment is also among the milestones Poland has to pass to unlock the EU funds. The amendment will slash potential onshore wind investments by 60-70%, effectively discouraging them, according to the Polish Wind Energy Association which groups some 150 investors.

☆ TikTok CEO Plans to Meet European Union Regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Stu Woo | Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to meet with the European Union’s antitrust chief and other officials. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to meet with European Union officials and regulators in Brussels next week, as the popular app faces heightened scrutiny in Washington over its Chinese ownership. Mr. Chew is scheduled to meet with Margrethe Vestager , the executive vice president of the EU’s executive arm and its top competition regulator, on Tuesday. He also plans to meet Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders , Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova .

☆ U.S. welcomes EU draft decision on data privacy -Commerce Secretary
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks about semiconductor chips subsidies during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 6, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The United States welcomed the European Union's draft decision on data privacy as a critical next step, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Wednesday, as the two parties try to seal a data transfer pact. The draft decision, Raimondo said, "represents a critical next step to fully address" the concerns of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which in 2020 struck down the previous EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework as a valid data transfer mechanism under EU law. "We are closely reviewing the draft decision," Raimondo said in a statement. The European Commission's justice chief Didier Reynders said the draft adequacy decision shows that U.S. safeguards offer the same level of data protection to EU citizens as that under European law.

☆ EU warns Musk that Twitter faces ban over content moderation -FT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

EU industry chief Thierry Breton made the threat during a video meeting with Musk on Wednesday, the FT reported, citing people with knowledge of the conversation. Twitter and the EU did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Breton had previously urged Musk to comply with landmark EU rules against online hate speech and disinformation. The European Commission's justice chief Didier Reynders had also voiced similar comments. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Musk plans to relaunch Twitter premium service, again
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON — Elon Musk said Friday that Twitter plans to relaunch its premium service that will offer different colored check marks to accounts next week, in a fresh move to revamp the service after a previous attempt backfired. Twitter previously suspended the premium service, which under Musk granted blue-check labels to anyone paying $8 a month, because of a wave of imposter accounts. Originally, the blue check was given to government entities, corporations, celebrities and journalists verified by the platform to prevent impersonation. In the latest version, companies will get a gold check, governments will get a gray check, and individuals who pay for the service, whether or not they’re celebrities, will get a blue check, Musk said Friday. It’s also likely to put the company on a crash course with European regulators seeking to clamp down on harmful online content with tough new rules.

☆ Twitter slipped on removing hate speech even before Elon Musk takeover, E.U. says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter removed 45.4% of hate speech posts it was notified about in a sample this year, down from 49.8% in 2021, European Union officials wrote in their report. The data was collected from March to May, months before tech magnate Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion and began loosening the site's enforcement even more around hateful posts. law, the Digital Services Act, threatens tech companies with fines in the billions of dollars if they don't strictly police their platforms. Musk has said he's focused less on removing hateful posts and more on limiting how often people view such posts — keeping them from going viral. officials said that they worked with 33 civil society organizations and three public bodies to notify tech companies of violations and monitor takedowns.

☆ Twitter job cuts a concern as new EU rules kick in, EU justice head says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reynders, who met with Twitter representatives at the social media platform's European headquarters in Dublin, sought clarifications from the company, a European Commission official told Reuters. "Twitter representatives reaffirmed the commitment of the company to ensure full compliance with EU rules. Commissioner Reynders took note of it and asked Twitter to translate this commitment into concrete measures," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Twitter has fired top executives and enforced steep job cuts with little warning following billionaire Elon Musk's tumultuous takeover of the company last month. Twitter's last two Brussels-based employees are no longer with the company, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

☆ EU Justice Commissioner to meet Meta, Twitter executives in Dublin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, Nov 22 (Reuters) - European Union justice chief Didier Reynders will meet executives from Twitter and Meta (META.O) at their European headquarters in Dublin this week, the Irish Times quoted the commissioner as saying on Tuesday. Following recent layoffs at the two companies, the newspaper quoted Reynders as saying that he was struck by "some decisions to fire people engaged in discussion with the commission" on new regulations introduced in Brussels. "It's quite strange, at the moment where there are more and more obligations and necessity to put into force," Reynders, who will be in Dublin on Thursday to speak to lawmakers, said in an interview with the newspaper. "It's too early to say that there is a real problem, but it is logical that we have some concerns, because of the size of the decisions taken – certainly in Twitter, but also in Meta and maybe others." Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Francois LenoirWASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order to implement a European Union-United States data transfer framework announced in March that adopts new American intelligence gathering privacy safeguards. Judges with experience in data privacy and national security will be appointed from outside the U.S. government. European privacy activists have threatened to challenge the framework if they did not think it adequately protects privacy. Austrian Max Schrems, whose legal challenges have brought down the previous two EU-U.S. data flow systems, said he still needed to analyze the package. "At first sight it seems that the core issues were not solved and it will be back to the CJEU (EU court) sooner or later," he said.

☆ EU proposes rules making it easier to sue drone makers, AI systems
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The AI Liability Directive aims to address the increasing use of AI-enabled products and services and the patchwork of national rules across the 27-country European Union. Under the draft rules, victims can seek compensation for harm to their life, property, health and privacy due to the fault or omission of a provider, developer or user of AI technology, or for discrimination in a recruitment process using AI. Users can sue for compensation when software updates render their smart-home products unsafe or when manufacturers fail to fix cybersecurity gaps. Those with unsafe non-EU products will be able to sue the manufacturer's EU representative for compensation. The AI Liability Directive will need to be agreed with EU countries and EU lawmakers before it can become law.

☆ Certificatul COVID al UE, aprobat în Parlamentul European
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-09 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +2 min

Certificatul COVID al UE, aprobat în Parlamentul EuropeanParlamentul European a aprobat miercuri definitiv certificatul digital al UE privind COVID, menit să faciliteze călătoriile în interiorul UE și să contribuie la relansarea economică a blocului comunitar, transmite IPN citând pagina electronică a postului de radio Europa Liberă. Plenul PE a aprobat prin vot noile reglementări referitoare la certificatul COVID cu 546 voturi pentru, 93 împotrivă și 51 abțineri (cetățenii Uniunii) și cu 553 voturi pentru, 91 împotrivă și 46 abțineri (resortisanți ai țărilor terțe). Comisarul european pentru justiție, Didier Reynders, a anunțat cifra în Parlamentul European marți, 8 iunie, înainte de votul care consacră lansarea certificatului. Certificatul digital COVID al UE – aceasta se pare că va fi denumirea oficială, va fi utilizat de toată țările din UE, precum și de Islanda, Liechtenstein, Norvegia și Elveția. Ursula von der Leyen, președinta Comisiei Europene, a spus că „certificatul digital COVID al UE este gratuit, sigur și accesibil tuturor.

Persons: Didier Reynders, Ursula von Organizations: Parlamentul, Parlamentul European, Europa Liberă, UE, Europene Locations: UE, Uniunii, Islanda, Liechtenstein, Norvegia, Elveția, Ursula von der

☆ VIDEO/ Comisar european: Peste un milion de cetățeni au primit certificate digitale al UE privind COVID
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-08 | by ( Mudrii Elena | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +2 min

Peste un milion de cetățeni au primit certificate digitale al UE privind COVID, a declarat marți, 8 mai, comisarul european pentru justiție Didier Reynders, în cadrul sesiunii plenare a Parlamentului European. „Mai bine de un milion de cetățeni deja au primit aceste adeverințe electronice și mulți alții le vor primi în săptămânile ce urmează. În urma acordului, din 20 mai curent, cu privire la reglementarea certificatului, încheiat între Parlamentul European și Consiliu, a fost lansat pilonul tehnic al sistemului UE. Certificatul digital UE urmează să fie disponibil începând cu 1 iulie, a anunțat Parlamentul European. Joi, 20 mai, Parlamentul European și Consiliul UE au ajuns la un acord în privința introducerii certificatului UE COVID-19.

Persons: Didier Reynders, UE Organizations: Parlamentului, Uniunii Europene, Parlamentul, UE, Parlamentul European, Verde, Consiliul UE Locations: Europa

☆ VIDEO/ Dezbatere în Parlamentul European: urmează să fie aprobat definitiv certificatul digital al UE privind COVID. Decizia va fi anunțată mâine
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-08 | by ( Mudrii Elena | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +3 min

Parlamentul European urmează să aprobe definitiv certificatul digital al UE privind COVID, pentru a „facilita călătoriile în interiorul UE în timpul pandemiei și pentru a contribui la redresarea economică”. „Datorită regulamentului fiecare cetățean european va avea dreptul legal de a primi adeverință electronică. Certificatul va contribui la ridicarea treptată a restricțiilor și le va permite cetățenilor să circule în Europa fie în interes profesional, cu familia sau pentru plăcerea proprie. În luna aprilie, statele membre s-au înțeles asupra principalelor specificații tehnice pentru certificatul UE COVID-19. Joi, 20 mai, Parlamentul European și Consiliul UE au ajuns la un acord în privința introducerii certificatului UE COVID-19.

Persons: Didier Reynders, Juan Fernando López Aguilar Organizations: Parlamentul European, Parlamentului, UE, Parlamentului European, Verde, Parlamentul, Consiliul UE Locations: UE, Europa

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