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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13565
Contents Publication in full By article 26 / 27
NEWS BRIEFS / Digital

European Commission and major platforms prepare for German parliamentary election period

24/01/2025 (Agence Europe) – A roundtable with several social network platforms—including Snapchat, X, TikTok, and Meta—as well as the European Commission and Germany’s national DSA coordinator took place in Berlin on the afternoon of Friday, 24 January. The purpose of this meeting was to make an initial assessment of these platforms’ state of preparedness in readiness for Germany’s upcoming parliamentary elections in February, which are facing risks of manipulation. According to the European Commission, “The exchange focused on current election-related trends as well as risk-minimising measures”. A stress test is scheduled for 31 January in order to put the platforms up against real-life situations and to evaluate their response systems. The European Commission and these same social networks had previously conducted a similar operation ahead of the European elections last June. (IS)

Contents

SECTORAL POLICIES
COMPETITIVENESS: “Competitiveness Compass” sets out Commission’s plans for 2025
AGRICULTURE: CAP simplification, farmers’ income and trade on agenda for meeting of European ministers on Monday 27 January
AGRICULTURE: EU agri-food trade hit new records last October
HEALTH: Covid-19 - European Commission signs four-year contract with Moderna
ENERGY: responding to Viktor Orbán, Commission reiterates that it had “not seen anything particularly worrying” following end of transit agreement
JUSTICE: “a threat to the efficiency of investigations” - European Public Prosecutor’s Office concerned about recent amendments to Austrian law on criminal procedure
EXTERNAL ACTION
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Ukraine, Middle East and relations with United States on Foreign Affairs Council agenda
TRADE: Raphaël Glucksmann wants to strengthen proposed review of foreign direct investments screening
SECURITY - DEFENCE
CSDP: EUBAM Rafah mission could be redeployed at beginning of February
INSTITUTIONAL
GENERAL AFFAIRS: dialogue on respect for Rule of law and priorities of Polish Presidency of EU Council on Member States’ agenda
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
COMPETITION: European green light, subject to conditions, for acquisition of DS Smith by International Paper
FINANCE: Member States consulted on extension, until June 2028, of equivalence of EU and UK rules governing clearing houses
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
SOCIAL/EMPLOYMENT: coordination of social security rules, Dutch government reiterates its calls to review and modernise proposals on table
SOCIAL/EMPLOYMENT: quality traineeships, work resumes on 31 January in EU Council working party
EDUCATION - YOUTH
EDUCATION: International Day of Education - European Commission reports on achievements of European Universities Initiative
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: according to European Disability Forum, inclusion is still too much on margins of EU’s official development assistance projects
NEWS BRIEFS
BANKS: Single Resolution Board updates its guidelines on continuity of critical activities in event of banking resolution
COMPETITIVENESS: European Commission launches second consultation on implementation of net zero industry act (NZIA)
COMPETITION: Estonia fined for failing to transpose EU directive strengthening national competition authorities
ENERGY: European Commission, ACER and RGI launch survey on stakeholder engagement in electricity infrastructure projects
ENERGY: European Commission could consider extending objectives for filling gas stocks beyond December 2025
ENERGY/HOUSING: in 2023, 10.6% of EU population were unable to keep themselves adequately warm
ENVIRONMENT: European Environmental Bureau assures that NGOs are not acting on instructions from European Commission or on its behalf
ENVIRONMENT: approximately one hundred NGOs call on Ursula von der Leyen to end lobbies’ interference in PFAS issue
ENVIRONMENT: WWF report criticises Sweden and Finland for logging out of step with ‘EU Biodiversity Strategy’
DIGITAL: European Commission and major platforms prepare for German parliamentary election period
PACIFIC: green light from EU Council for accession of Tonga, Tuvalu and Niue to EU/Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement