Irish Presidency: what’s on the radar for digital, consumers, and innovators?
On July 1, Ireland takes the helm of the Council of the EU with 68 "priorities" spanning competitiveness, values, and security.
EU TECH LOOP
Posts
Two thirds of European teenagers do not feel "stressed, sad, or socially excluded" because of social media?
Eurobarometer stats challenge political alarmism over teen social media use: 2/3 don't feel stressed, sad, or excluded; 55% don't compare themselves to others; and 75% haven't encountered problematic content like hate speech online.
EU's Cloud & AI development act met with a mixed reception
The European Commission's goal of tripling the EU’s data center market within 5 to 7 years would not be possible without intrusive market engineering, and CADA does exactly that.
The unintended costs of Germany’s new streaming quota
Germany's proposed streaming quota risks harming consumers, stifling competition, sparking international trade tensions, and increasing the cinema industry's dependence on political whim.
Inspirational Innovations
European regulators are quietly green-lighting Tesla’s self-driving technology
Tesla's self-driving technology is getting unlocked in Europe, one capital at a time.
The EU’s DMA: fines, delayed features and unclear benefits
Apple’s Siri AI delay has turned the DMA from a Brussels bubble debate into a consumer issue: the DMA is meant to ensure a fair market, but what are the measurable benefits for consumers and founders?
Inspirational Innovations
VivaTech: no need to wait 20 years to see AI's impact; it's transforming Europe today
France faces a busy June, hosting the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, followed by Europe's top tech event, VivaTech. We sat down with VivaTech MD François Bitouzet to discuss the conference, AI's immediate economic impact, tech sovereignty, and EU data regulation.
EU tech sovereignty: internal divides
The EU’s tech sovereignty plans are moving forward, but foundational debates persist.
Governments Doing Good
A technorealistic approach to AI literacy in Estonian schools
As European governments discuss the ethical use of AI in education and plan budgets to facilitate AI literacy among students, the Estonian AI Leap approach stands out as highly pragmatic and thoughtful.
Red Tape Roadblocks
Why European businesses are not using AI tools
Eurostat's 2025 data show that a lack of technical expertise, data privacy concerns, and legal uncertainty remain the main barriers to the use of AI tools among European businesses, even as most companies recognize AI’s potential value.
The EU’s plan to tackle “cookie fatigue”
The EU wants to reduce “cookie fatigue” through browser-level consent rules that promise fewer banners and more transparency. Critics warn the proposal could create new gatekeepers, weaken personalised advertising, and increase costs for European businesses.
The EU’s age-verification dilemma: DSA and VPNs
While political agreement on online age verification has not been reached, the EU is now focusing on the technical implementation layer instead. This approach could backfire from both a technical standpoint and in terms of political optics.