The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Renfe may have abused its dominant position in the Spanish passenger rail transport market by refusing to supply all its content and real-time data to rival ticketing platforms. Renfe is the Spanish state-owned rail incumbent operator. Renfe sells its tickets offline and online either (i) […]
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European Parliament calls for a coordinated EU strategy against foreign interference
Political elites in the EU advancing Gazprom’s agenda and Hungary’s susceptibility to Russian intelligence activities are among many examples named in the new report. The EU needs a coordinated strategy against foreign interference and information manipulation (FIMI), including measures to enforce better existing provisions to fight it, say MEPs in a report adopted on Wednesday. […]
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Geopolitical consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
At a meeting on 24 April, EU foreign affairs ministers focused on military support, restrictive measures, food security, and accountability but also the implementation of the action plan on the geopolitical consequences of this war. The EU aims to strengthen its partnerships around the world to reinforce global stability and growth. Sudan The Foreign Affairs […]
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A new method to help policymakers defend democracy against hybrid threats
Hybrid threats pose a specific danger to the EU and other democracies, because they target core democratic processes and weaken citizens’ trust in their institutions and governments. In recent years, authoritarian regimes and non-state actors use hybrid threats to achieve their hostile, strategic objectives. By combining different types of tools and organised actions, such as […]
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European Parliament approves Europe’s first ever rules on crypto-assets
Parliament endorsed the first EU rules to trace crypto-asset transfers, prevent money laundering, as well as common rules on supervision and customer protection. On Thursday, MEPs approved with 529 votes in favour to 29 against and 14 abstentions, the first piece of EU legislation for tracing transfers of crypto-assets like bitcoins and electronic money tokens. The text […]
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MEPs support establishment of EU rapid reaction force
The EU military instrument for rapid reaction to crises would consist of up to 5000 troops and should reach full operational capability by 2025 at the latest. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday by 444 votes in favour, 96 against and 86 abstentions, MEPs support the proposal to establish the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU […]
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Ukraine joins EU Civil Protection Mechanism
On 20th April, Ukraine becomes a Participating State of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism – the European solidarity framework that helps countries overwhelmed by a disaster. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, is in Kyiv to officially sign an agreement on behalf of the European Union granting Ukraine full membership of the Mechanism. During his visit, he will […]
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Europol helps arrest 50 people for trafficking hashish and cocaine via African route
Europol supported the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) and the Portuguese Judiciary Police (Policia Judiciaria) and National Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana) in dismantling a criminal network involved in trafficking large quantities of cocaine and hashish to the European Union via the African route. The investigation also involved law enforcement authorities from France and the United […]
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The European Commission adopts a proposal for a law to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities in the EU
On 18 April, the Commission adopted a proposal for an EU law on a Cybersolidarity Act to strengthen the EU’s cybersecurity capabilities. This involves supporting the detection and understanding of cyber security threats and incidents, boosting the preparedness of key units and strengthening the common and coordinated crisis management and response capabilities of […]
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