Page 53 - European Union

Legal experts urge Centre to come up with specific norms for regulating AI

As India aspires to lead in artificial intelligence innovation, legal experts advocate a nuanced, sector-specific regulatory strategy

From local to global: Competition Law gained much traction in 2023

The year 2023 has seen Competition Law gaining traction both in India and globally

Cargo ship hijacked last week moved toward coast of Somalia: EU naval force

A Maltese-flagged merchant ship that was hijacked last week in the Arabian Sea with 18 crew on board is now off the coast of Somalia, the European Union's maritime security force said Tuesday. One crew member has been evacuated for medical care. An Indian maritime patrol plane spotted the Ruen a day after its hijacking last Thursday and made radio contact with the crew, who had locked themselves in a safe room. The hijackers broke into the safe room and "extracted the crew" hours later, the EU Naval Force said. The bulk carrier Ruen remains under the control of the hijackers, whose identity and demands are unknown, the EU Naval Force said in a statement. It did not give details on the condition of the crew member who was taken off the vessel on Monday and moved to an Indian navy ship that has been shadowing the Ruen. The Ruen, which is managed by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, was off the Yemeni island of Socotra near the Horn of Africa when it was boarded, the private ...

Negotiating trade pact with EU, UK, Sri Lanka, Peru: Commerce ministry

India is negotiating free trade agreements with the European Union (EU), the UK, Sri Lanka, and Peru, according to a year-end review statement of the commerce ministry. India-European Union (EU) free trade agreement negotiations were formally re-launched on June 17 2022. "Negotiations cover 23 policy areas/chapters. Six rounds of negotiations have been held till October 2023," the ministry said. With the UK, 13 rounds of talks have been completed and the next round will take place in January 2024. "India-Sri Lanka Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ECTA) negotiations are ongoing with the 12th round of negotiations conducted from 30th October to 1st November 2023 in Colombo," it said. It added that both sides also agreed to continue discussions on matters, including apparel quotas and pharmaceutical procurement. With Peru, it said discussions on various chapters, including rules of origin, trade in goods, trade facilitation, sanitary, and phytosanitary measures were ..

EU disappointed over India's 'right' to approach WTO's body in ICT case

The European Union (EU) has expressed disappointment over India's move to approach the WTO's appellate body in a case related to customs duties on certain information and communications technology (ICT) products, an official said. On December 8, India appealed against a ruling of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade dispute settlement panel, in a case filed by the European Union against New Delhi's import duties on certain ICT products including mobile phones and components, base stations, integrated circuits and optical instruments. India has stated that it is the right of countries to appeal, and called for early restoration of the non-functional appellate body of WTO so that the panel's errors can be corrected and the dispute can be resolved expeditiously. New Delhi has also rejected the EU's request to settle the dispute through arbitration. On this request, India has said that such interim arbitration agreements undermine the right of countries to appeal to a permanent .

EU investigating Elon Musk's X over possible breaches of social media law

European Union are looking into whether Elon Musk's online platform X breached tough new social media regulations in the first such investigation since the rules designed to make online content less toxic took effect. Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X under the Digital Services Act, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a post on the platform Monday. The Commission will now investigate X's systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements, spokesman Johannes Bahrke told a press briefing in Brussels. It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. The investigation will look into whether X, formerly known as Twitter, failed to do enough to curb the spread of illegal content and whether measures to combat information manipulation," especially through its Community Notes feature, was effective. The EU will also examine whether X was transparent enough with researchers and will look into suspicions that its user interface, including fo

UK plans to implement carbon tax on imported goods like steel from 2027

The British government announced plans Monday to charge a carbon levy on imported raw materials such as aluminum, iron, steel and cement from 2027, in an attempt to prevent firms being undercut by overseas producers. However, the plan has come under criticism from the body representing British steel as being too sluggish, as it will come into effect one year after similar proposals from the European Union (EU) are implemented. Announcing its plan, Britain's Treasury said the proposed new tax will level the playing field, helping greener domestic producers compete against higher carbon, but cheaper, foreign rivals. For years, fears have been expressed that efforts to cut greenhouse gases in the UK are not being matched overseas, meaning that emissions are just being displaced to other countries without ambitious net-zero targets, leading to little global benefit. This levy will make sure carbon-intensive products from overseas like steel and ceramics face a comparable carbon price

Alcohol body seeks better market access for Indian products in EU markets

The CIABC has demanded that the EU should remove the non-tariff barriers which prevent the vast majority of Indian products from being sold in the EU

India may not be majorly impacted by G7 ban on Russian diamond imports

India's move came after both sides were not able to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution

India challenges WTO panel ruling in favour of EU on ICT import duties

India has appealed against a ruling of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade dispute settlement panel in a case filed by the European Union against New Delhi's import duties on nine information and technology products. India's move came after both regions were not able to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution (MAS). "India and the EU have negotiated to arrive at a MAS for the past seven months, but the EU has now filed for adoption of panel report on December 7 and therefore, India has appealed against it on December 8 in the WTO," Additional Secretary in the commerce ministry Peeyush Kumar told reporters here. As part of the MAS, the EU was seeking customs duty concessions on certain goods, which was not acceptable to India as it violates WTO rules. These concessions can only be given in a free trade agreement, Kumar said. In September, the two regions had asked WTO's dispute settlement body not to adopt a ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain ICT products li

EU fails to agree on $55 bn aid package for Ukraine, budget renegotiation

European Union leaders have failed to agree on a 50 billion ($55 billion) aid package for Ukraine and on the renegotiation of the EU budget, EU Council President Charles Michel said Thursday. The financial package could not be endorsed by all 27 leaders, who earlier Thursday agreed to open membership negotiations with Ukraine. The money is aimed at helping the war-torn country weather the Russian invasion. Ukraine is badly counting on the funds to help its damaged economy survive in the coming year. Earlier on Thursday, the European Union decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, a momentous moment and stunning reversal for a country at war that had struggled to find the backing for its membership aspirations and long faced obstinate opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. European Council President Charles Michel, who was chairing a Brussels summit of the EU's 27 leaders where the decision was made, called it a clear signal of hope for their people and ou

European Union struggles to keep its elementary promises to Ukraine intact

European Union leaders struggled at the start of a two-day summit Thursday to keep their two most elementary promises to Ukraine at war intact to give it the money and wherewithal to stave off the Russian invasion and maintain its hope that one day it will be able to join the wealthy bloc. And stunningly, the threat to that commitment does not come from outside, but from within, from its increasingly recalcitrant member Hungary. The vision of its prime minister, Viktor Orban, heartily shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin two months ago still hung heavy over the summit. Orban came into the summit vowing to both block the plans by his 26 fellow leaders to officially declare that membership negotiations with Ukraine can start, and more pressingly, deny Kyiv 50 billion Euros (USD 54 billion) in financial aid that the country dearly needs to stay afloat. The challenge comes at an especially dire time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, straight off a trip to ...

Armenia, Azerbaijan exchange POWs in line with deal announced last week

Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday exchanged prisoners of war, in line with an agreement announced last week that also promised the two countries would work towards a peace treaty and was hailed by the European Union as a major step toward peace in the tumultuous region. Azerbaijan brought back two servicemen, while 32 soldiers returned to Armenia, officials in both countries reported. Azerbaijan waged a lightning military campaign in September in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The offensive ended three decades of rule there by ethnic Armenians and resulted in the vast majority of the 120,000 residents fleeing the region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. In their joint statement last week, the two countries said they share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace. They said they intend to normalise relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial

EU deal to force Uber, Deliveroo to reclassify some drivers as employees

The EU's deal would give eligible individuals rights typically enjoyed by employees, including minimum wage, paid leave and unemployment benefits

Apple set to be hit by EU antitrust order in app store fight with Spotify

EU is putting the finishing touches to a decision that would prohibit Apple's practice of blocking music services from pushing their users away from the App Store to alternative subscription options

Apple offers to let rivals access tap-and-go tech in antitrust case: Report

The European Commission is likely to seek feedback next month from rivals and customers before deciding whether to accept Apple's offer, the people said

Intelligent regulation

Much to learn from EU's Artificial Intelligence Act

Tusk becomes Poland's prime minister with mission of improving EU ties

Donald Tusk, a leader of a centrist party, returned as Poland's prime minister for the first time in nearly a decade after a vote in parliament on Monday, paving the way for a new pro-European Union government following eight years of stormy national conservative rule. Tusk, a former EU leader who served as European Council president from 2014-2019 and has strong connections in Brussels, is expected to improve Warsaw's standing in the bloc's capital. He was Poland's prime minister from 2007-2014. Tusk's ascension to power came nearly two months after an election which was won by a coalition of parties ranging from left-wing to moderate conservative. The parties ran on separate tickets, but promised to work together under Tusk's leadership to restore democratic standards and improve ties with allies. The change of power is felt as hugely consequential for the 38 million citizens of the Central European nation, where collective anger against the Law and Justice party produced a ...

EU leaders set for summit showdown over Ukraine's accession talks

Other EU states, including richest member Germany, have said they back starting negotiations with Kyiv on the long process of joining the bloc, but Budapest dug in its heels

EU carbon tax to hurt global trade, not to stop carbon leakage: GTRI

The decision of the European Union (EU) to impose a carbon tax on certain sectors like metals from 2026 will only hurt global trade and not help in containing carbon emissions, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra remarks that the sole aim of CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) is to prevent carbon leakage which has significant flaws. It added that fossil fuels contribute to 90 per cent of Greenhouse and 75 per cent of carbon emissions and if decarbonization is the goal, the EU should heavily tax fossil-fuel imports. Carbon leakage is the phenomenon of companies moving production to countries with weaker environmental regulations to avoid paying carbon prices in the EU. This objective could have been achieved by merely taxing imports from the EU firms, which have shifted production to other countries. However, the EU chose to tax all world imports through CBAM, GTRI Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava