News, Publications and Consultations from the Past Week
News CW 47 (18.11.2024 – 24.11.2024)
Damaged cables in the Baltic Sea: Two undersea cables between Germany and Finland have been damaged. The root cause is still not fully understood. The incident has heightened geopolitical tensions and bears similarities to other incidents in the Baltic region. Investigations are ongoing, while security concerns over critical infrastructure are growing. (Politico.eu)​
International law to cyberspace: The EU Council has approved a declaration on international law to cyberspace to promote a common understanding of state action in digital spaces. The declaration emphasises the validity of international law to cyberspace and highlights the importance of the UN framework for peace and stability. The goal is to achieve globally uniform cyber resilience and improved protection against malicious behaviour such as ransomware. (Consilium)​
EU and Singapore on AI safety: The EU and Singapore have signed an Administrative Arrangement to promote the safety and trustworthiness of AI through joint testing, research and standards. This collaboration builds on the 2023 digital partnership and aims to develop AI innovations with minimal risk. It also plans to exchange views on technological trends and future developments. (EU Commission)​
AI and energy consumption in Ireland: The expansion of AI data centres is placing significant strain on Ireland’s power grids, jeopardising the country’s position as Europe’s tech hub. Experts warn that the rising energy demand could double by 2026, while a de facto moratorium on new data centres remains in place in Dublin. Without modernisation efforts, a “mass exodus” of businesses could occur, warns the grid operator EirGrid. (Politico.eu)
Global network for AI safety: The EU AI Office participated in the inaugural meeting of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes, which discussed measures on synthetic content and its risks. The focus was on transparency techniques, common testing methodologies and a risk assessment strategy for advanced AI systems. The results will be further developed at the 2025 AI Action Summit. (European Commission)​
Uncertainties regarding the EU AI Act: The EU’s AI Act prohibits applications with “unacceptable risk” from February 2025, but clear guidelines for implementation are missing. Stakeholders criticise the delayed consultation process and the lack of transparency on the part of the Commission. Critics warn that unclear definitions could hinder effective implementation. (Euractiv)​
Meeting of the European Board for Digital Services: The ninth meeting of the European Board for Digital Services covered topics such as age verification, transparency reporting and disinformation. A keynote address by the Australian eSafety Commissioner emphasised international cooperation. The next meeting is planned for December 2024. (European Commission)​
Future of the EU telecommunications sector: The EU Council conclusions on telecommunications reforms were significantly watered down, with national interests dominating the discussions. Controversy surrounds in particular on the consolidation of providers and the treatment of OTT providers such as Meta and Netflix. Experts warn of possible negative consequences for innovation and consumer protection. (Euractiv)​
Selected Publications from the EP Think Tanks
- What if Europe championed new AI hardware?
- The future of European electric vehicles
- Enforcing the Digital Services Act: State of play
- Combating child sexual abuse online
Ongoing Relevant European Commission Consultations
- Digital product passport – rules for service providers (until 10.12.2024)
- Delegated Regulation on data access provided for in the Digital Services Act (until 26.11.2024)
- Travel – digitalising travel documents to make travelling easier (until 30.12.2024)
Selections of the CW (25.11.2024 – 01.12.2024)
Council:
The current preview of the Council’s work for the upcoming weeks can be found here.
Summit and Ministerial Meetings:
- European Economic Area Council, 11.2024
- General Affairs Council (Cohesion), 11.2024
- Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 28/29.11.2024
Preparatory Bodies:
- COREPER I, 27 November 2024
- COREPER II, 27 November 2024
An overview of the various Council dates can be found here.
Commission:
The agenda of the current Commission meeting was not available at our time of writing. You can potentially find it on the Commission’s website in the near future.
Parliament:
Plenary Sittings (Strasbourg)
The agenda for the current plenary sittings week can be found here. From the perspective of the Internet industry, the following agenda items are relevant:
- Critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea
- Foreign interference and espionage by third country actors in European univerisities
Here you can find a list of the upcoming dates of the European Parliament. The calendar of the plenary sittings for 2024 is available here (PDF).
Committees
LIBE Committee (Civil Liberties)
No meeting of the LIBE Committee is scheduled for this week.
JURI Committee (Legal Affairs)
No meeting of the JURI Committee is scheduled for this week.
No meeting of the ITRE Committee is scheduled for this week.
IMCO Committee (Internal Market)
No meeting of the IMCO Committee is scheduled for this week.
CULT Committee (Culture and Education)
No meeting of the CULT Committee is scheduled for this week.
Outlook:
An overview of the following session weeks can be found here. The provisional agenda for the upcoming plenary sittings (25-28.11.2024) can be found here.
European Court of Justice
You can find the judicial calendar of the ECJ here.
