Page 35 - European Union

EU chief travels to Kyiv with promise of fresh energy funds for Ukraine

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen is travelling to war-ravaged Ukraine on Friday with the promise of 160 million euros ($180 million) in fresh energy funds to get the nation through the winter. Von der Leyen told reporters that 100 million euros ($112 million) of the funds would come from the proceeds of the Russian assets held in the EU because of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "It is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused." The European Union estimates that about half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed, making the job of heating homes, hospitals and schools increasingly difficult as temperatures dip ahead of the third war winter that the nation will face. Von der Leyen said Russia knew full well that bombing energy stations was hitting Ukraine where it really hurts. Morale to keep on fighting can be significantly sapped if millions shiver in the brutal winter for months on end. "We may see huge implications," said Fatih Birol, the head

India proposes retaliatory duties on EU's safeguard steps on steel products

India has proposed the imposition of retaliatory customs duties, under the WTO norms, on certain value of goods imported from the EU, as the two sides have failed to reach a consensus on the European Union's safeguard measures on some steel products. In a communication to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India said that it has proposed suspension of concessions will take the form of an increase in tariffs on selected products originating in the EU. "India hereby informs that from 2018 to 2023, the safeguard measures (of the EU) have resulted in cumulative trade loss for India to the tune of USD 4.412 billion on which the duty collection would be USD 1.103 billion. "Accordingly, India's proposed suspension of concessions would result in an equivalent amount of duty collected from products originating in the EU," the communication said. It added that to ensure the effective exercise of its right to suspend substantially equivalent concessions, India reserves its right to effectuat

Tech giants embark on final push to dilute European Union's AI Act

EU lawmakers in May agreed the AI Act, the world's first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology, following months of intense negotiations between different political groups

Greece records 37% surge in property purchases by Indians in July-Aug

The rush in purchases is driven by a change in the minimum investment limit under Greece's Golden Visa Programme from Rs 2.3 crore to Rs 7 crore

EU moves to compel Apple to open up operating system to rival tech

The European Union said Thursday it will outline steps to compel Apple to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to competing technologies under the bloc's tough new digital rulebook, which threatens hefty fines for breaches. The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, said it has opened two specification proceedings that will spell out what Apple needs to do under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Markets Act. The DMA is designed to prevent Big Tech gatekeepers from dominating digital markets, including by breaking up closed tech ecosystems. It requires tech companies to make their systems operate with rivals, allowing consumers to switch more easily between platforms. One proceeding will focus on how connected devices like smartwatches and headphones will have effective interoperability with Apple's operating system. The other will look at how Apple deals with interoperability requests from software developers for iOS and IPadOS, which should be done in a "transparent, .

EU chief travels to Kyiv, promises energy funds for Ukraine's winter

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen is travelling to war-ravaged Ukraine on Friday with the promise of 160 million euros ($180 million) in fresh energy funds to get the nation through the winter. Von der Leyen told reporters that 100 million euros ($112 million) of the funds would come the proceeds of the Russian assets held in the EU because of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused, she said. The European Union estimates that about half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed, making the job of heating homes, hospitals and schools increasingly difficult as temperatures dip ahead of the third war winter that the nation will face. Von der Leyen said Russia knew full well that bombing energy stations was hitting Ukraine where it really hurts. Morale to keep on fighting can be significantly sapped if millions shiver in the brutal winter for months on end. We may see huge implications, said Fatih Birol, the hea

EU and India developed strong, innovative water management deal: EU envoy

EU Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto highlighted the success of the ongoing water projects in India, emphasising that the European Union and India have developed a strong and innovative water management partnership. At the inauguration of the India-EU Water Forum on Wednesday, he praised its growing collaboration with India in water management and expressed interest in expanding this partnership to Africa. "We have developed a successful partnership in India. We are now keen to work with Africa to bring our respective expertise, develop innovative water management strategies and foster regional water security," Astuto said during the forum. The India-EU water collaboration has made significant progress in areas like river basin management, the safe reuse of treated water and climate resilience, he said, adding that this partnership is contributing to improving India's water management infrastructure, strengthening efforts to tackle climate change impacts and ensure water security for .

Google wins fight over $1.7 billion EU fine for online advertising abuse

Judges at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg backed the Alphabet Inc. unit's challenge to a fine doled out in 2019, saying regulators made mistakes in their probe

EU chief Von der Leyen to unveil her new team after long and bumpy road

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen is expected to unveil the members of her new team for the next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc on Tuesday. But it has been a tumultuous ride to get it ready for office the search for the 26 members of her college was chaotic and scandal-ridden even before the parliament is to start hearings on whether to accept each proposed candidate. French heavyweight Thierry Breton resigned and openly criticised von der Leyen for allegedly questionable governance on Monday and accused her of backroom machinations to oust him. Many saw his shock resignation more as a removal by von der Leyen of one of her most open internal critics after exerting pressure on French authorities. Compounding such problems was the defiance of many of the 27 member states as von der Leyen struggled to get anywhere close to gender parity on her Commission team they staunchly refused to give her a choice between a male and a female candidate. After days of secret t

Foreign banks in regulatory standoff seek RBI relief on trading rules

In October 2022, Esma de-recognised the Clearing Corporation of India, creating significant obstacles for European banks conducting large-scale transactions

French EU commissioner resigns after attacking Ursula von der Leyen

An influential French member of the European Union's powerful executive branch resigned on Monday, calling into question the leadership of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen just as she tries to assemble a new team for the next five years. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and commissioner for the EU's vast internal market who recently clashed with tech billionaire Elon Musk, suggested that von der Leyen had gone behind his back to get another French official named in his place to the next commission. In a post on social media platform X containing his resignation letter to the EU's top official, Breton said that von der Leyen's move was further testimony to questionable governance - I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the college. The commission proposes legislation for the 27 EU member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world's biggest trading bloc are respected. It's made up of a College of commissioners with a .

Italy supports EU's tariffs on Chinese exports of electric vehicles

Italy is aiming for a climate of positive cooperation, and real reciprocity to avoid dumping and obstacles from Beijing

EU antitrust order to Google's adtech business unlikely for now: Report

A break-up order could come at a later stage if Google continues its anti-competitive practices, they said, pointing to a precedent setting case involving Microsoft two decades ago

Unauthorised migration into EU countries declines despite heated politics

Unauthorised migration to European Union countries dropped significantly overall in the first eight months of this year, even as political rhetoric and violence against migrants increased and far-right parties espousing anti-immigration policies made gains at the polls. There was, however, a spike in migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that is increasingly used as an alternate stepping stone to continental Europe. Irregular migration dominated the European parliamentary elections in June and influenced recent state elections in eastern Germany, where a far-right party won for the first time since World War II. The German government this week announced it was expanding border controls around its territory following recent extremist attacks. What do the numbers show? Despite the heated debates, irregular crossings over the southern borders of the EU the region that sees the most unauthorised migration were down by 35% from Januar

Top EU privacy regulator opens investigation into Google's AI compliance

A spokesperson for Google said it takes its obligations under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) seriously and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions

European Commission rejects minimum price offers from Chinese EV exporters

The Commission declined to give details of the offers, but said it had thoroughly reviewed them to see if they met World Trade Organization and EU anti-subsidy rules

US and EU discuss value of engagement with India on global challenges

The US and the European Union as part of its dialogue on China have discussed the value of engagement with India in addressing global challenges, including in the maritime sphere, energy and connectivity in the Indo-Pacific. Discussion on India was part of the two-day 'US-EU Dialogue on China' and the sixth meeting of the 'US-EU High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific', here on September 9 and 10. The dialogue was led by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell from the US and European External Action Service (EEAS) Secretary General Stefano Sannino from the EU side. They discussed the value of the US and the EU's respective engagement with India on global challenges, on security, including in the maritime sphere, energy and connectivity in the Indo-Pacific. The United States and the European Union also discussed the latest developments in Bangladesh, said a joint statement issued on September 11. They discussed ongoing and increasing engagement in the Indian Ocean Region, ...

Google's AI model faces EU scrutiny from watchdog over privacy rules

European Union regulators said Thursday they're looking into one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google's Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It's part of wider efforts, including by other national watchdogs across the 27-nation bloc, to scrutinize how AI systems handle personal data. Google's European headquarters are based in Dublin, so the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator for the bloc's privacy rulebook, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The commission said its inquiry is examining whether Google has assessed whether PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 t

EU's antitrust crackdown: Apple, Google face major setbacks in legal battle

The EU secures major legal wins against Apple and Google, upholding rulings on unfair tax benefits and market abuse, marking a significant step in its fight to regulate Big Tech dominance

China challenges dim European firms' investment appetite, says lobby group

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in the latest edition of its Position Paper