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With the end of the summer holidays and the ‘rentrée’ approaching, here is Euronews’ guide to what to expect from tech policy in the coming months, as well as what you may have missed over the summer holidays.
Future plans:
(New?) Digital Affairs Commissioner
The European Parliament is due to approve new commissioners in October, revealing who will replace Thierry Breton, the Internal Market Commissioner in charge of various digital files. Breton, who was nominated for a second term, may be looking to replace himself, as most of the other candidates lack technology experience.
The newly elected commissioners are due to take office on November 1, although a delay cannot be ruled out. Euronews has collected a list of confirmed and rumoured candidates, as well as their preferred portfolios, in our constantly updated commissioner tracker.
US Elections
Former Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are neck and neck in the polls heading into the presidential election. The outcome could have a major impact on US-EU relations and, more generally, on the country's technology policy. With her strong ties to Silicon Valley and emphasis on ethical tech innovation, Kamala Harris is likely to continue Biden's approach, which is closer to the EU's regulatory focus on AI safety and digital governance.
The next Trump administration is likely to adopt an “America First” approach. Its policies of deregulation and prioritizing domestic issues could reignite transatlantic tensions. Trump is supported by tech moguls such as Elon Musk, who is openly opposed to EU regulations on platforms.
artificial intelligence
The AI law came into force in August, but the hard work is only just beginning: companies need to start complying with the rules, while member states also need to start appointing regulators. The AI Office has started gathering feedback from companies in its consultation on Trustworthy General-Purpose AI ahead of upcoming guidance.
We also hope to see more results from the AI Accord, which is a preliminary effort to prepare companies for the legal framework. With the Accord, the Commission aims to allow companies to get ahead of AI law through voluntary initiatives and share ideas through workshops organized by the EU executive's AI office. The new Parliament will likely focus on grey areas such as AI and copyright, liability, and AI in the workplace.
CSAM
New discussions will begin in the Council of the EU in October after a compromise proposed by the Belgian presidency last June on the controversial regulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) failed. The Hungarian presidency will be responsible for reaching a common approach after both the Spanish and Belgian presidencies reached an impasse on the issue of scanning encrypted messages and images. Hungary is due to find a way out of this impasse in December.
cyber-
Discussions have become politicized in recent months as a European Commission expert group has been unable to reach an agreement on Voluntary Certificates for Cloud Services (EUCS) and are expected to continue beyond the summer, while the Cybersecurity Act (CSA), which gives the EU cybersecurity agency ENISA the powers to develop such certificates, is up for review.
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communication
We are awaiting the outcome of the consultation on the future of telecommunications and digital infrastructure, which ended in late June and will form the basis of the Commission's proposals for early 2025. The discussions, which were initiated by Breton last year, have been the subject of intense lobbying from the telecommunications industry and the big platforms, both of which do not want to contribute any more to the creation of advanced networks.
Featured
A citizens' initiative called “Stop Video Games from Dying” is gaining momentum. Launched on July 31, the petition has already garnered over 300,000 signatures and calls on the EU to stop video game licensors from disabling games when they no longer support them. The initiators of the initiative have one year to collect the one million signatures needed for the initiative to be considered by the European Commission.
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Here's what you might have missed while out:
European chips
The European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) is to be built in Dresden, Saxony, to expand microchip production in Europe. The new factory will produce so-called high-performance chips for automotive and industrial applications and is due to be fully operational by 2029.
Elon Musk never has a day off
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Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of social media platform X, challenged the European Commission's initial findings that X had violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) in early July. Musk fired back at X, arguing that the Commission offered X an illegal secret deal if it would quietly censor speech without telling anyone.
In late July, the UK was shocked by a knife attack followed by violent protests across the country. Musk escalated tensions on social media, declaring that a “civil war” had broken out. The European Commission told Euronews that these actions could further intensify an already extensive DSA investigation into X.
In early August, Musk faced new complaints over the use of user data to train X's AI models. With the US election approaching, Musk, an ardent supporter of Donald Trump, shared a fake video of Kamala Harris and scheduled an interview with the Republican candidate for August 13. The day before, Thierry Breton published a letter to X reminding them of their obligations under the DSA. Despite Musk's blunt response, Republican politicians and civil society supported Musk, arguing that Breton's actions should be interpreted as election interference.
New Parliament, New Faces
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The new members of the European Parliament met for their first plenary session from July 16-19. Euronews compiled a list of people who will be influential in the technology and digital sector this term, including two former Meta employees, rekindling the debate on revolving door regulation. The next plenary session will be held in Strasbourg from September 16-19.
