Page 54 - European Union

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European Union strikes deal to regulate ChatGPT, AI tech in landmark act

Thierry Breton, the bloc's internal market chief, said the deal strikes a balance between fostering innovation and protecting the rights of people and companies

Esma should follow principle of mutual trust, cooperation: T Rabi Sankar

RBI dy governor says not comfortable extraterritorial jurisdiction regulations

China, EU divide starkly apparent in post-summit news conferences

From trade to human rights, the leaders of China and the European Union differed on a wide range of issues at a summit this week in the Chinese capital. China, which sees Europe as an important export market, raised concerns about trade protectionism and de-risking, the EU initiative to reduce its reliance on any one country such as China for vital raw materials and products. The EU, which sees imports from China as a potential threat to companies and jobs, pressured China on its large trade surplus with Europe and its de facto support for Russia in the war in Ukraine. Separate post-summit news conferences on Thursday evening highlighted the divergent positions. Wang Lutong, the director general for European affairs, spoke to journalists at China's Foreign Ministry. Then EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel held a joint news conference at the European Union office in Beijing. TRADE IMBALANCE VON DER LEYEN: If you just look at the

India will address EU's carbon tax issue; will retaliate if required: Goyal

India will address the issue of the European Union's plan to impose a carbon tax on certain imported goods, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said, adding that "I will retaliate" if required. The CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) or carbon tax (a kind of import duty) will come into effect from January 1, 2026. However, from October 1 this year, domestic companies from seven carbon-intensive sectors, including steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium and hydrocarbon products, will have to share data with regard to carbon emissions with the EU. "Bharat will address the problem of CBAM with confidence, and we will find solutions. We will see how we can convert CBAM to our advantage if it comes in. Of course, I will retaliate. You need not worry about it," Goyal said here at an industry chamber event. According to a report of the think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), CBAM will translate into a 20-35 per cent tax on select imports into the EU, starti

EU's talks on AI rules stall after nearly 24 hours of negotiations

Negotiators made some progress, including on a provisional deal on generative AI tools - the kind capable of producing content on command

Levying border adjustment tax to meet green commitments morally wrong: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said any move on imposition of cross-border adjustment tax by developed countries to meet their green commitments is morally wrong and goes against the interest of developing countries of 'Global South'. "The single mono-sided decision of imposition of border adjustment tax ...the logic just goes against the concern of the Global South... "But cross-border imposition (of tax) and that money going towards somebody else's green agenda, if anything, is not moral at all," Sitharaman said at the CII Global Economic Policy Forum. The minister said every country will need to generate resources to meet the green commitments made globally. Her comments come in the backdrop of the European Union's announcement to impose carbon tax on imports from certain sectors. The CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) or carbon tax (a kind of import duty) will come into effect from January 1, 2026, but from October 1 this year, domestic companies from s

Apple Inc requests more time to comply with EU norm in older iPhones

Claims that putting in a universal charging port in older models will adversely impact its PLI targets

Apple warns India's EU-style charger rules will hit local production target

Apple asked officials to exempt existing iPhone models from the rules, warning it will otherwise struggle to meet production targets set under PLI scheme

Nationalism is back, and it's a good thing

It is Western "universalism", the old wolf of imperialism in lamb's clothing, that is questionable

Spanish newspaper association files suit against Meta over ad practices

A Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European Union rules on data protection. In a statement, the Information Media Association said it is demanding 550 million euros (USD 600 million) from the social media giant. The association represents dozens of newspapers including Spain's principal dailies El Pas, El Mundo, ABC and La Vanguardia. The association accuses Meta of systematic and massive non-compliance with EU data protection regulations between May 2018, when they took force, and July 2023. It said Meta has repeatedly ignored the requirement that citizens give their consent to the use of their data for advertising profiling. The company declined to comment, saying it hadn't seen the legal papers. Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms have long used behavioral advertising to make money. The practice involves tracking individual .

European Union's world-leading AI regulations facing do-or-die moment

Hailed as a world first, European Union artificial intelligence rules are facing a make-or-break moment as negotiators try to hammer out the final details this week talks complicated by the sudden rise of generative AI that produces human-like work. First suggested in 2019, the EU's AI Act was expected to be the world's first comprehensive AI regulations, further cementing the 27-nation bloc's position as a global trendsetter when it comes to reining in the tech industry. But the process has been bogged down by a last-minute battle over how to govern systems that underpin general purpose AI services like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard chatbot. Big tech companies are lobbying against what they see as overregulation that stifles innovation, while European lawmakers want added safeguards for the cutting-edge AI systems those companies are developing. Meanwhile, the U.S., U.K., China and global coalitions like the Group of 7 major democracies have joined the race to draw up ...

Meta asked to clarify measures against child sexual abuse by Dec 22

The request for information was done under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), new tech rules requiring Big Tech to do more to police illegal and harmful content on their platforms

EU antitrust regulators accuse five car battery makers of running cartel

The five manufacturers are Banner, Clarios, Exide, Elettra and Rombat. They make 12-volt lead batteries which are currently used to start most combustion engine cars

EU pledges 10 million euros to support Afghanistan's healthcare system

The long-lasting cooperation between the EU and WHO has contributed to stronger and more resilient health care in Afghanistan, it said

India, European Union sign MoU on semiconductor research and innovation

India and the European Union have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on semiconductors that covers cooperation in areas such as research and innovation, talent development, partnerships and exchange of market information, the External Affairs Ministry said Friday. The MoU was signed ahead of the IndiaEU Trade and Technology Council that was held in the virtual format on Friday. The Trade and Technology Council meeting was co-chaired on the Indian side by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw. Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Vice-President Vera Jourova chaired the meeting from the European side. The Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the latter's visit to India in April 2022. The inaugural ministerial meeting of TTC was held in Bruss

Amazon set to win EU's nod for its $1.4 billion iRobot acquisition: Report

The European Commission, which acts as the EU's competition watchdog, warned Amazon in July that the deal could reduce competition in robot vacuum cleaners

Broadcom closes VMware deal after 18-month saga ending in China: Report

VMware will now become the centerpiece of Tan's software operations

EU lawmakers reject 50% chemical pesticide usage cut by 2030 proposal

European Union lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a plan to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030 and to ban all pesticide use in areas such public parks, playgrounds and schools. After a series of amendments watered down the proposal of the EU's executive Commission, the bill was rejected in a 299 to 207 vote, with 121 abstentions. It buried the bill for good and any new proposal would need to start from scratch after June elections for members of the European Parliament. This is a bitter blow for the protection of the environment and public health. To put it bluntly, the majority of MEPs put the profits of big agri over the health of our children and the planet, said Sarah Wiener, a Green lawmaker who was rapporteur for the proposal. There is not going to be a new sustainable use of pesticides regulation, Wiener said. The European Commission said last year that current rules limiting the use of pesticides were too weak and had not been applied consistently across the

Britain proposes antitrust overhaul after Microsoft-Activision case

Following Brexit, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has a bigger say over mega-mergers such as Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of the "Call of Duty" maker