Latest in European Commission
The European Commission's recently released Data Act is a sweeping proposal to regulate markets for non-personal data with significant consequences for U.S. companies.
The European Commission has unveiled its Artificial Intelligence Act. What's in it?
The new president of the European Commission can help guide European policy in the right direction.
Events in Washington may overshadow what's happening around the world, but nobody can miss the confusion that attends the British government right now. Two ministers have resigned over Brexit, and the furture of Britain’s negotiations with the European Union is radically uncertain. All of which led me to an odd musing—what if Britain changed its mind? Not that it is terribly likely to happen, but what would be the result if the U.K. decided it wanted to stay in the EU?
On Mar. 12, the European Commission released the final report of its independent High Level Expert Group on Fake News and Online Disinformation (the Group), a group of 39 experts from different sectors and countries that was convened earlier this year and tasked with putting forward strategies to counter disinformation.
There is reason to question the independence of the Polish judiciary; over the past two years, Polish legislature has adopted more than 13 laws that arguably place the courts in the control of the ruling political majority.
Being an American is tough these days. One has to explain a lot to foreigners that is inexplicable. Then, along comes Europe to show that congential foolishness is not a uniquely American trait. Consider this bit of privacy imperialism from the European Court of Justice. Apparently the court thinks that Canada's data privacy laws—CANADA!—is inadequate to protect European privacy.
The U.S.-EU Privacy Shield framework, the agreement between the U.S. government and the European Commission that enables continued flows of commercial data from Europe to the United States, is undergoing its first annual review by the Commission and other European institutions. A report on their review is due in September. In the longer term, the Privacy Shield faces potential legal challenges in the Court of Justice of the European Union. [Disclosure: I have advised legal clients on the Privacy Shield and legal challenges.]
The deal between the EU and Turkey to manage the flow of refugees from Syria, made public at the end of the European Council meeting on March 18, has big potential benefits for both the EU and Turkey. But it has big costs as well. If successful, it will stem the tide of refugees, help prevent the collapse of the Greek state, allow the EU to start healing its own wounds and prepare the ground for a more orderly placement and distribution of the refugees.