European Union

Dear readers, Welcome to EU Politics Decoded where Benjamin Fox and Eleonora Vasques bring you a round-up of the latest political news in Europe and beyond every Thursday. In this edition, we look at why there is not much that is new about the alternative...

AMENDMENTS 331 - 488 - Draft report 2022 Commission Report on Serbia
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Vladimír Bilčík

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The European Commission put forth a Connectivity Package on Thursday, including measures to boost the rollout of high-capacity networks in Europe and a public consultation that might pave the way for Big Tech companies to chip in infrastructure costs.

The launch of ChatGPT has sparked a worldwide debate on Artificial Intelligence systems. Amidst Big Tech's proclamations that these AI systems will revolutionise our daily lives, the companies are engaged in a fierce lobbying battle to water-down regulations.

The EU-Mercosur trade deal will substantially increase the trade in agricultural products, including beef, soy and ethanol, commodities that are directly tied to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and human rights violations, writes Audrey Changoe.

Climate organisations Oxfam, Friends of the Earth and Notre Affaire à Tous are suing the Eurozone's biggest bank BNP Paribas over oil and gas financing.

After announcing a Chinese peace initiative for Ukraine in Munich, the country's top diplomat Wang Yi has travelled to Moscow to present the plan there. It is due to be officially revealed in detail on 24 February, one year after the Russian invasion began. The Russian foreign ministry has said it appreciated China's efforts. Ukraine said that its own peace plan had priority, but that it was open to ideas. The press focuses on Beijing's motives.

In February 2018 the contract killing of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová shook Slovakia and led to massive protests, ushering in the fall of the government under populist Robert Fico, who was suspected of corruption, and a spirit of optimism. But five years on disillusionment has set in, commentators note.

Has Ukraine increased the depth of the Bystre Canal in the protected Danube Delta from 3.9 to 6.5 metres without permission to improve navigability for freight ships? The Ukraine Ministry of Infrastructure posted a Tweet to this effect, but the message was quickly deleted and replaced with the explanation that only maintenance work had been carried out. What really happened remains unclear, but there have been indignant reactions on the Romanian side of the Delta. Some commentators stress that now is not the time to challenge Ukraine.