european commission
Filter by...
-
Following the money – easy to say, hard to do
On 21 June, the European Commission organised an event about its “follow the money” approach to combating counterfeit goods. In the event, the first of a series of memoranda of understanding between the Commission and private sector actors was presented. The Commission has gone at great lengths to involve all stakeholders, including civil society, in […]
Read more
-
Guide to the Code of Conduct on Hate Speech
On 31 May, the European Commission, together with Facebook, YouTube (Google), Twitter and Microsoft, agreed a “code of conduct” (pdf) on fighting hate speech. We believe that the code of conduct will damage enforcement of laws on hate speech, and undermine citizens’ fundamental rights. In a joint press release, EDRi and Access Now have therefore […]
Read more
-
EDRi and Access Now withdraw from the EU Commission IT Forum discussions
Today, on 31 May, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Access Now delivered a joint statement on the EU Commission’s “EU Internet Forum”, announcing our decision not to take part in future discussions and confirming that we do not have confidence in the ill considered “code of conduct” that was agreed. Launched at the end of […]
Read more
-
European fundamental rights to be regulated by companies
Today, on 25 May, the European Commission published two new proposals of their Digital Single Market strategy: its update of the Directive on audiovisual media services (ADVMS) and a Communication on online platforms, together with the evidence document for the platforms Communication. The Communication on Platforms worries us the most. For instance, the proposals with […]
Read more
-
ENDitorial: Next year, you’ll complain about the Terrorism Directive
The European Union is currently in the process of adopting a Directive on terrorism. The Directive is expected to be finalised later this year and then each Member State government will decide what it means, and will adopt national laws to put it into practice. The European Commission wrote the draft Directive in two weeks, […]
Read more
-
CETA will undermine EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
In February 2016, the European Commission and Canadian government published the final draft text of the EU – Canada trade agreement (CETA), prior to its approval or rejection by the Council of the European Union, European Parliament and, possibly, national parliaments. In October 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated the […]
Read more
-
Please sue us
Each of the Member States of the European Union is required to incorporate European directives into national legislation. If a Member State does not obey this obligation, the European Commission can sue this country in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). But what actions can a country take if such directives force […]
Read more
-
Leaked EU Communication – Part 2: Protecting Google at all costs
While the European Commission talks tough about supporting European industry, much of what is in the leaked Communication on online platforms appears to be designed to protect Google and other online giants, to the detriment of competition and European innovation. “Fair payments” for copyright The Communication refers obtusely to the notion of “fair” distribution of […]
Read more
-
TiSA resolution: what are you going to do about it?
The Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) is bizarrely and sadly not subject to the same public debate as other “trade” agreements, such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) or the recently concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). While some do not find TiSA as “sexy”, it still contains provisions that should deserve all your attention. […]
Read more
-
Digital Single Market: The EU Parliament responds to the Commission
On 19 January 2016, the European Parliament voted to adopt its report “Towards a Digital Single Market Act”. This Resolution is a non-legislative statement, prepared by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), in response to the European Commission’s Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy presented on […]
Read more
-
EDRi’s submission to the “Platforms consultation”
EDRi submitted its response to the European Commission consultation on platforms, online intermediaries, data, cloud computing and the collaborative economy on the 24 December 2015. The consultation covered a very broad range of different online services such as AirBnB, eBay, Netflix, Facebook, YouTube and others, which were labeled under the dubious denomination of “platform”. It […]
Read more
-
Case Closed: Ombudsman decides GCHQ letters are of public interest
Almost two years after having been opened, case 2004/2013/PMC was closed by Emily O’Reilly, the EU Ombudsman, on the 5 November 2015. The case concerned the complain of a German journalist about the European Commission’s refusal to allow access to documents on internet surveillance by the British secret services – mainly the Government Communications Headquarters […]
Read more