European Union

The US House of Representatives has voted in favour of a bill that poses a threat to the future of the social media app TikTok. To be allowed to continue to operate in the US, the short-video platform would have to change ownership there, since its Chinese parent company Bytedance is considered to be bound by the directives of the Chinese Communist Party. The bill will now be discussed and put to vote in the US Senate, where its approval is less certain.

Freight traffic workers at Finnish ports have been on strike since Monday. The protest against labour market reforms planned by the conservative government threatens to cripple Finnish foreign trade. The reform proposals envisage various restrictions on labour rights, including the right to strike. There are voices for and against the action in the press.

The Dutch right-wing populist leader Geert Wilders has announced he will forego the job of prime minister in order to clear the way for a right-wing coalition. Now Wilders' PVV party, the conservative-liberal VVD, the farmers' party BBB and the centrist NSC will examine the possibility of forming an "extra-parliamentary cabinet" which would be staffed by external experts, among others. What does this mean for the Netherlands and the EU?

The European Industrial Summit in Antwerp and the subsequent Antwerp Declaration for an Industrial Deal put industrial policy back on the agenda of the EU, argue Judith Kirton-Darling, William Todts and Marco Mensink.

Welcome to Euractiv’s Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has formally become a co-organiser of the Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) Exercise, organised by the Portuguese Navy, alongside with Oporto University (FEUP), NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) and NATO Joint Capability Group Maritime Unmanned Systems (JCGMUS). The 14th edition of the REPMUS exercise will take place from 9 to 27 September 2024, and it is expected to count with more international and multi-stakeholder participation than ever before. 

The exercise is designed to allow large-scale Operational Experimentation (OPEX), where the operational communities engage with industry and academia to integrate the latest best-in-class Commercial Off-The Shelf (COTS) systems during trials in the maritime and amphibious domain and validate Experimental Tactics (EXTACs), upgraded vehicles, updated software, integrated payloads, and C4 on MUS to address Key Operational Problems.

EDA’s Added Value

Joining the exercise as a co-organiser offers EDA a platform to engage alongside with relevant stakeholders in the largest MUS exercise worldwide and support its planning by developing scenarios that will directly address key activities set down in the new maritime specific EU Capability Development Priorities, facilitating their implementation in a collaborative manner.

This initiative is also in line with EDA's commitment to Research and Technology (R&T) advancement playing a crucial role in identifying technology gaps and common areas of interest for cooperation. In this context, the exercise will serve as a strategic platform to promote and showcase initiatives aimed at leading the development of technologically superior military capabilities and can also be used as a venue for the Hub for EU Defence Innovation (HEDI) services related to experimentation.

Moreover, the maritime community and its various stakeholders, supported by EDA to address unmanned maritime systems from a regulatory and safety perspective, will find here an annual opportunity to create tailored experimentations and strengthen links between manufacturers, researchers, and end users. The REPMUS exercise is an ideal venue for the experimentation of concepts, tactics, and procedures in line with the Concept Development and Experimentation approach.

While specific EU climate targets are out of reach for Germany, its economy is well on track to meet the national target of cutting emissions by 65% by 2030.

Finland wants the EU and its member states to ramp up their crisis management capacities to avoid getting blind-sided by future upheavals, emergency talks and potential cracks in the bloc's unity, according to a non-paper seen by Euractiv.