Page 64 - European Union

Twitter has dumped bloc's code of practice on disinformation: EU official

Twitter has dropped out of a voluntary European Union agreement to combat online disinformation, a top EU official said Friday. European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted that Twitter had pulled out of the EU's disinformation code of practice that other major social media platforms have pledged to support. But he added that Twitter's obligation remained, referring to the EU's tough new digital rules taking effect in August. You can run but you can't hide, Breton said. San Francisco-based Twitter responded with an automated reply, as it does to most press inquiries, and did not comment. The decision to abandon the commitment to fighting false information appears to be the latest move by billionaire owner Elon Musk to loosen the reins on the social media company after he bought it last year. He has rolled back previous anti-misinformation rules, and has thrown its verification system and content-moderation policies into chaos as he pursues his goal of turning Twitter into a digital

More than 9,000 Afghans file asylum applications in EU in a month

It is reported that Syrians and Afghans are the largest groups of asylum seekers in the EU member states over the past years

EU's proposed carbon tax won't affect trade relation with India: Timmermans

European Union's climate policy chief Frans Timmermans on Friday said the bloc's proposed carbon tax will not have any negative effect on its trade relationship with India and that it would do nothing that is in violation of World Trade Organisation rules. The EU plans to implement a carbon import tax of 25 to 30 per cent on high carbon goods such as steel, cement, aluminum, iron, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. This has led to concerns about the impact on developing nations heavily reliant on carbon-intensive industries. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CABM), expected to be introduced in its transitional phase from October, is part of the EU's larger climate strategy which focuses on incentivising member countries to reduce their carbon emissions and adopt greener practices. "If India fulfills all its ambitions in terms of greening the economy and reducing the carbon footprint and creating comparable footprints to the EU, there is no worry that CBAM will have a ...

India appeals to the void in WTO dispute over ICT tariffs on mobile phones

A trade expert said India's appeal only against the Japan case and not against the EU one could be to avoid EU retaliation

Europe's AI rules are not for negotiation: EU's Breton on OpenAI threat

Altman's comments at a conference a day earlier came as the European Union seeks to expand its AI rules to cover generative AI tools, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT

India, EU should use trade council for stable green energy supplies: Frans

European Union's climate policy chief Frans Timmermans on Thursday suggested using the India-European Union Trade and Technology Council to have access to technology and raw material necessary for stable green energy supplies to fight the climate crisis. On the first day of his two-day crucial diplomatic mission to India to discuss developments on emission reductions and clean energy transition, Timmermans also called for collectively setting a renewable energy generation goal on the international stage. Addressing the 'Confederation of Indian Industry Annual Session 2023' here, he said the whole nature of the cooperation between the EU and India should be focused on how "we create the instruments that will allow us transform our economies and societies in a way that we create sustainable jobs". "If you want to depend more on sustainable energy, you have to develop systems which create stability in energy supplies which means battery systems and green hydrogen systems for which you

European Commission's climate policy chief on two-day mission to India

The European Commission's climate policy chief Frans Timmermans is arriving in India on Thursday for a two-day crucial diplomatic mission to discuss latest developments at the national level on emission reductions and clean energy transition. Environmental protection and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai later this year will also be part of the discussion. According to a statement from the Delegation of the European Union to India, the Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal will hold bilateral meetings with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav; Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of Coal Prahlad Joshi; and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri. These meetings aim to foster collaboration and explore potential avenues for cooperation between the European Union (EU) and India in tackling the pressing climate challenges. Timmermans will participate in a high-level round table organised by the

EU defence ministers fail to agree on new military aid to Ukraine amid war

The bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recalled that more than 10 billion euros in military support have already been provided to Ukraine

European defense ministers meet in Poland to discuss Ukraine's defenses

Defense ministers and senior defense officials from 12 northern European countries are meeting in Poland on Monday to discuss stepping up deterrence and security on NATO's eastern flank and strengthening Ukraine's defenses, ahead of NATO's summer summit. They are meeting at military facilities in Legionowo, near Warsaw, as part of the so-called Northern Group - a platform for developing security initiatives for NATO and European Union members. Officials will also discuss preparation for the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Denmark's Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. That summit is expected to gauge prospects for Ukraine's membership. Recently, the US agreed to allow training on American-made F-16 fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine. Initiated by Britain in 2010, The Northern Group includes The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Poland and the three Baltic states. Germany and Norway

Meta fined 1.2 bn euros for breaching European Union's privacy laws

The tech giant has also been ordered to stop transferring data collected from Facebook users in Europe to the United States of America

Exports to EU worth $1.3 bn to be impacted by deforestation rule: GTRI

India's exports of products like coffee, leather hides and paperboard worth USD 1.3 billion annually to the European Union will get impacted due to the deforestation regulation adopted by the EU earlier this week, a report by economic think tank GTRI said on Thursday. Within three weeks of introducing the carbon border tax, the European Union Council on May 16 adopted the European Union Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EU-DR). The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that the EU-DR appears to prioritise protecting its own agricultural sector and promoting exports, making imports more difficult as it is a trade barrier disguised as a green measure. The regulation covers cattle, buffalo, the meat of bovine animals, preparations, Oil cake, soya beans, palm oil, cocoa bean, powder, chocolate, coffee, leather hide, skin, paper, paperboard, wood, wood articles, wood pulp, boards and wood furniture. The exporters now have to ensure that these products have been grown on lan

Regulating AI

Europe is moving to set standards

EU proposes reforming customs to target online sellers like Amazon, Alibaba

The European Commission's proposal would introduce data-driven systems, streamlining reporting requirements for traders by reducing the time needed to complete import procedures

Look at EU regulations: Jaishankar tells Borrell on import of Russian oil

Responding to Josep Borrell, EU Foreign policy chief's remarks calling for action against Indian refined products from Russian crude, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (local time)

1st Trade & Tech Council significant milestone in India-EU ties: Jaishankar

The first meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels marks a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between India and the European Union due to its focus on critical domains, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday. The meeting, co-chaired on the Indian side by the EAM, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Communications, Electronics and IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, covered key focus areas of strategic technologies, digital governance and green energy technologies. The EAM highlighted that India has a crucial role to play in all aspects and also with regard to its impact on the global talent pool. This first meeting of the Trade and Technology Council is a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between India and the European Union, Jaishankar said in his address. We are obviously important partners for each other but what the TTC represents is a focus on key domains that are critical to both the glo

First Trade-Tech meet significant milestone in India-EU ties: Jaishankar

The first meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels marks a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between India and the European Union due to its focus on critical domains, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday. The meeting, co-chaired on the Indian side by the EAM, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Communications, Electronics and IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, covered key focus areas of strategic technologies, digital governance and green energy technologies. The EAM highlighted that India has a crucial role to play in all aspects and also with regard to its impact on the global talent pool. This first meeting of the Trade and Technology Council is a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between India and the European Union, Jaishankar said in his address. We are obviously important partners for each other but what the TTC represents is a focus on key domains that are critical to both the glob

India, European Union talk the ongoing trade deal, market access

India and the EU had in April last year agreed to establish a "Trade and Technology Council", to tackle the challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology and security

European Union adopts law banning products which fuel deforestation

The 27 European Union countries have formally adopted new rules that should help the bloc reduce its contribution to global deforestation by regulating the trade in a series of goods. Under the legislation, companies trading palm oil, cattle, wood, coffee, cocoa, rubber and soy will need to verify that the goods they sell in the EU have not led to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world since 2021. The regulation also covers derived products such as chocolate or printed paper. Forests are an important natural means of removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, since plants absorb carbon dioxide when they grow. According to the World Resource Institute, a forest area the size of 10 soccer pitches disappears in the world every minute and the EU says that without the new regulation it could be responsible for the loss of 248,000 hectares of deforestation per year a surface almost as large as member country Luxembourg. The law will force companies to sh

EU urged to crack down on imports of Indian fuels made with Russian oil

EU should crack down on India reselling Russian oil as refined fuels including diesel into Europe, blocs diplomat has said, as nations move to tighten sanctions on Moscows, media reported

Italy's public debt crosses $3 trillion for first time: Bank of Italy

The Bank of Italy said that the country's public debt climbed above $3 trillion in the latest reporting period