Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief podcast, my name is Samuel Stolton and each week, I aim to bring you some of the most relevant and timely technology stories in the world of EU politics and policy. This week, we take a look at the latest hearing of Big Tech's Zuckerberg, Pichai, and Dorsey in Thursday's Energy and Commerce committee session, and the different opinions at play with regards to the infamous Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act.
Mar 26, 2021•5 min•Ep. 40
This week, we take a look into the thinking behind the Commission's recently published plans for their so-called 'Digital Decade' targets, and we probe perhaps the blindspots that the EU executive hasn't yet addressed in detail.
Mar 19, 2021•16 min•Ep. 39
This week we take a look at the Commission’s plans for protecting the future of platform workers in the EU. You’ll hear from Commission representatives on the EU’s future objectives in this field, and we also speak to Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary at European Trade Union Confederation on the need to better protect the workers of the gig economy in Europe.
Mar 05, 2021•21 min•Ep. 38
This week we take a look at what’s in store for the future of 5G in the EU, with a particular focus on recent developments in France. For a full breakdown of all of the most important stories over the past 7 days in this patch, sign up to my free newsletter or take a look at it online at Euractiv.com
Feb 26, 2021•15 min•Ep. 37
This Spring, the European Central Bank will decide whether or not to move ahead with preparatory work to launch a digital euro, a project that could have far-reaching implications for the very foundations of the financial system. Central bankers were given a wake up call in 2019, following Facebook’s announcement of its intentions to develop its own digital currency, which was called ‘Libra’ and now ‘Diem’ in Summer 2019, and since then discussions have been taking place at the ECB with regards ...
Feb 19, 2021•23 min•Ep. 36
A range of private media outlets went off the air in Poland on Wednesday running blank pages and slogans such as “this used to be your favourite programme,” in protest against a proposed media advertising tax they say threatens journalistic independence and diversity. The blackout came a day after many publishing groups objected to the planned tax in an open letter to authorities and political leaders.
Feb 12, 2021•16 min•Ep. 35
The development of next generation robotics technologies, has been cited as an important part of the EU’s future economic growth and recovery. But there are also perilous pitfalls at play, should the bloc overlook various policy challenges, in terms of high-risk robotics, data protection, and consumer rights. This week will delve into the future of EU robotics, to give you an exclusive insight into what’s in store.
Feb 05, 2021•20 min•Ep. 34
The EU is deploying drone technology to surveil its external borders. How ethical are practices such as these? This week Samuel Stolton speaks to an MEP who has taken the lead in making this an important issue for the EU to examine.
Jan 29, 2021•16 min•Ep. 33
In this week’s edition, we take a deep dive into the European Union’s next moves in the Artificial Intelligence space by drawing on recent comments from political officials and catching up with policy experts in the field, as the European Commission readied new rules on AI to be presented in March.
Jan 22, 2021•22 min•Ep. 32
Nations across the bloc only have until early June this year to transpose the EU’s Copyright Directive, adopted in 2019. This week, we hone in on one of the countries that played host to a groundswell of opposition to the plans: Germany.
Jan 14, 2021•13 min•Ep. 31
Online platform giants will be forced to abide by a broad range of obligations as part of ambitious new plans laid out by the European Commission in its Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) on Tuesday. This week, EURACTIV takes a deeper dive to see what’s in store as part of the plans.
Dec 18, 2020•6 min•Ep. 30
As we edge closer to December 31st, concerns are starting to amplify over how data transfers will take place between the EU and the UK after Brexit. This week, EURACTIV speaks to Ben Rapp, an expert on EU-UK data flows who heads the UK’s largest data privacy consultancy, Securys, to get an insight into what could be in store for the future of EU-UK digital trade.
Dec 10, 2020•17 min•Ep. 29
After rumors had been circulating in Brussels earlier this week, the Commission confirmed that the publication of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act would be pushed back to December 15th. This week, we have all the latest on the plans, including the Commission’s direction of travel with regards to the functionality of the DMA’s New Competition Tool.
Dec 04, 2020•4 min•Ep. 28
This week, the European Commission has unveiled its highly-anticipated Data Governance Act. In our latest transmission, we take a closer look at the plans.
Nov 27, 2020•8 min•Ep. 27
A series of EU nations have started to make their cases for the nomination as the bloc’s next cybersecurity hub. This week, take a look at the battle for Europe’s new cyber centre.
Nov 20, 2020•9 min•Ep. 26
This week, the European Commission has published its draft decision on standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for the transfer of personal data to third countries, after the Schrems II strikedown earlier this year. The EDPB has also released its guidance for the transfer of EU personal data abroad.
Nov 13, 2020•6 min•Ep. 25
The United States is on the brink of electing its next President has elected a new President. This week, Samuel Stolton takes a look at how the ballot may influence the future of EU digital policy as well as transatlantic elections.
Nov 06, 2020•9 min•Ep. 24
There’s been lots of talk on the EU conference circuit this week, with regards to the best course of action to take as part of new competition capacities to be outlined in the Commission’s Digital Markets Act, set to be unveiled on December 2. And talk of a potential Big Tech breakup has not gone away.
Oct 30, 2020•5 min•Ep. 23
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief podcast, where we bring you a specially curated digital and tech story from the week in the world of EU politics and policy. The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a series of reports which could have a profound impact on the future of the platform economy, supporting a possible ban on targeted advertising, reporting procedures for illegal content, and better detection of fraudulent vendors.
Oct 23, 2020•6 min•Ep. 22
Global technology giants including Google, Microsoft, and IBM, in addition to Chinese players in the market, are welcome to take part in the EU’s ambitious cloud infrastructure project Gaia-X, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Thursday.
Oct 15, 2020•4 min•Ep. 21
European Council summit where EU leaders are set to sign off on commitments made to bolster the EU's digital clout in the world, with a new series of so-called Digital Compass benchmarks for 2030. In the Commission's digital development plans, one initiative that stands out is the notion of establishing an EU wide digital identity.
Oct 01, 2020•6 min•Ep. 20
The European Commission has concerns that certain aspects of the UK’s data protection regime may change in the future and negatively impact the safety of EU personal data when transferred to the country.
Sep 24, 2020•4 min•Ep. 19
Presenting her future vision to MEPs earlier this week, von der Leyen outlined three areas that have become more pertinent in the context of the coronavirus, referring to forthcoming years as Europe’s ‘digital decade’ and proposing that 20% of the bloc’s recovery fund be spent on digital initiatives.
Sep 17, 2020•7 min•Ep. 18
Europe's online marketplaces should not be controlled by a handful of dominant gatekeeper platforms, the EU's digital chief Margarethe Vestager has said, referring to her bid to reign in the market dominance of tech giants through the EU's forthcoming new competition tool.
Sep 10, 2020•5 min•Ep. 17
EU leaders earlier this week reached a 'historic agreement' on the new multi-annual financial framework and the recovery and resilience fund. However, in order to achieve these new agreements, substantial cuts have been made to the bloc's various funding programs, including in the digital fields. This week, we crunch the numbers.
Jul 23, 2020•5 min•Ep. 16
The EU-US Privacy Shield agreement that attempts to guarantee the secure transmission of EU data to the United States, has been declared invalid by the European Court of Justice, in a ruling that will provoke major disruption to transatlantic data flows. EURACTIV’s Digital Editor Samuel Stolton examines the issue further to find out what could happen next.
Jul 17, 2020•9 min•Ep. 15
This week, 150 prominent writers and academics including Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker, Margaret Atwood, Francis Fukuyama, Salman Rushdie, and J.K Rowling, have written an open letter calling for free speech to be preserved online, amid an ongoing trend towards 'cancel culture.' Could such a narrative have any influence on the future direction of policy in this area? EURACTIV’s Digital Editor Samuel Stolton examines the issue further.
Jul 09, 2020•7 min•Ep. 13
One question that has returned to the forefront of our minds this week in the tech domain is how does Europe position itself with regards to regulating artificial intelligence? EURACTIV’s Digital Editor Samuel Stolton draws on comments this week from the European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski and Vice-President for Digital Margrethe Vestager, while also lighting the German government’s position on the issue of Artificial Intelligence regulation in the EU.
Jul 02, 2020•9 min•Ep. 12
The European Commission has presented its first review of the application of the General Data Protection Regulation. This week, we take a look at some of the main findings, including how doubt has been cast over the UK’s future data adequacy.
Jun 25, 2020•5 min•Ep. 11
Palantir. MEPs have urged the European Commission to provide more details on the EU’s relationship with controversial US big data analytics firm Palantir, following a series of revelations detailing the involvement of the company in Europe.
Jun 11, 2020•7 min•Ep. 10
