Former Von Der Leyen Aide’s New Role Reflects EU Competition Policy Shift
Ursula von der Leyen appointed Anthony Whelan, a trusted digital adviser, as the new Director‑General of the EU competition department. Whelan inherits a heavy agenda, including a rewrite of merger guidelines and a fast‑track review of state‑aid rules amid energy‑price shocks. The move underscores von der Leyen’s drive to modernise competition policy and align it with a broader competitiveness strategy for European industry. His legal background and long‑standing ties to the Commission position him to balance enforcement rigor with the president’s industrial ambitions.
Robots Captured Russian Army Positions for First Time in History, Zelenskyy Says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a Russian position was seized solely with ground robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles. The operation, conducted without infantry, resulted in no Ukrainian casualties as the enemy surrendered. Zelenskyy highlighted that in the first...
Germany’s Digital Minister Wants a European Palantir
Germany’s digital minister Karsten Wildberger is pushing for a home‑grown European alternative to U.S. data‑analytics giant Palantir, arguing that Europe can develop competitive products if it backs smaller firms. He acknowledges existing European vendors but says scaling them will take...
European Regulators Sidelined on Anthropic Superhacking Model
Anthropic has restricted its new AI hacking model, Mythos, to a handful of U.S. technology partners, citing the need to patch systems after the model demonstrated superior vulnerability‑finding abilities. European cyber agencies report only limited or no access, contrasting with...
EU Parliament Threatens to Delay €1.8 Trillion Budget Talks Until 2027
The European Parliament announced it will not begin trilogue negotiations on the EU’s €1.8 trillion Multiannual Financial Framework until member states first agree on the overall size of the pot. MEPs are pushing for a roughly 10% increase over the Commission’s...
EU Complaints System Buckles Under Pressure of AI
European citizens are increasingly using AI assistants to file complaints and submit proposals to EU bodies, overwhelming the existing administrative infrastructure. The European Ombudsman recorded a 54% jump in complaints in 2025, while Horizon Europe’s €95 billion (≈$103 billion) research programme saw...
Europe Should Regulate Big Tech Instead of Banning Kids From Social Media, Estonia Says
Estonia’s education minister Kristina Kallas warned the EU against banning minors from social media, arguing that regulation of large platforms is more effective. While France, Denmark and Greece are moving forward with age‑restriction bans, a POLITICO survey shows three‑quarters of...
Anthropic’s AI Hacking Tech Triggers Concern in German Cyber Agency
Anthropic unveiled Mythos, an AI model that can locate and exploit software bugs faster than human hackers. The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is in active dialogue with Anthropic after the model was shared with 12 cybersecurity firms...
The EU’s Big Tech Rulebook Is Shifting the Digital Economy, Says Ribera
European Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera hailed the Digital Markets Act as a "success story" that is reshaping the EU digital economy. She said the DMA has boosted interoperability and data access, narrowing the gap between U.S. tech giants and European...
UK Looks to Hold Tech Execs Personally Liable for Intimate Image Abuse
The U.K. government will table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that makes senior tech executives personally criminally liable if they fail to remove non‑consensual intimate images from their platforms. The measure ties Ofcom’s enforcement under the Online...
Orbán’s Government Accuses Facebook of Undermining His Reelection Campaign
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government alleges that Facebook’s algorithm favors rival Péter Magyar, who leads in polls ahead of the April 14 election. Data from a Telex tally shows Magyar’s 287 March posts generated 14.1 million interactions, nearly double Orbán’s...
Most Europeans Want Minors Off Social Media
A new POLITICO European Pulse survey of 6,698 adults across six EU nations finds that three‑quarters of Europeans support government‑mandated minimum ages for social media. Half of respondents favor age 16, another quarter prefer 13‑15. Italy and Poland show the...
EU Trade Boss to Visit US in April
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will travel to the United States in late April, where he is expected to discuss a contentious technology‑related dialogue and the implementation of the EU‑U.S. joint trade statement. The EU continues to push back against U.S....
OpenAI Puts ‘Stargate UK’ on Hold in Blow to Britain’s AI Ambitions
OpenAI has placed its "Stargate UK" compute project on hold, citing an unfavourable regulatory landscape and the United Kingdom’s high energy costs. The initiative, which would have leased up to 8,000 Nvidia GPUs from data‑center operator Nscale starting in early...
Greece Proposes Law to Keep Kids Off Social Media
The Greek government has drafted a law that would bar anyone under 15 from using social‑media platforms, with parents required to install a monitoring app on all devices. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the measure via a TikTok video, citing...
