Find out what the latest developments mean for Europe's position in the race to innovate.
The US-led Pax Silica and the Chinese-led WAICO are increasingly competing for global attention. While the Global West remains somewhat divided, China's WAICO builds on years of experience in influencing current & future policymakers and locking local infrastructures into Chinese tech.
Europeans and Americans talk past each other while rivals watch. The EU can set its own standards, but in an interconnected economy, decoupling fantasies and grandstanding won’t help.
Russia’s new Law No. 72-FZ bans all advertising on “undesirable” or extremist platforms, tightening control over Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, with fines looming and influencers turning to VK, RuTube, or crypto to keep earning.
A week after the US–EU digital trade deal was unveiled, it is already under fire. Trump has threatened new tariffs, Brussels is pressing ahead with new rules, and both sides are sharpening arguments, underscoring how fragile yet vital the pact is for transatlantic tech.
Russia and Belarus plan to build “traditional values” - based AI to counter U.S. and Chinese influence. While still reliant on Chinese tech, Russia ranks low in global AI indexes. Sanctions, brain drain, and chip dependency drive its $2.5B push for AI self-reliance.
The current debate on European digital sovereignty largely targets American tech, while 5G infrastructure sovereignty and security are often sidelined as "non-priority" or "too expensive".
Last week, David Sacks called for scrapping the AI diffusion rule, warning it alienates allies and risks pushing them toward China. The policy has faced a modest EU backlash.
Last week, the EU Commission unveiled its AI Continent Action Plan to boost AI adoption and leadership. While it generated buzz, much of it echoes earlier proposals—and key measures on simplification and red tape, especially around the AI Act and GDPR, remain thin.
Russia’s Rusklimat has acquired the Ericsson trademark under a law allowing unused trademarks to be re-registered after three years. This sets a dangerous precedent for foreign companies that left Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, raising concerns about intellectual property protection.
European AI Whirlwind Week: Paris AI Summit focused on business, JD Vance criticized Europe’s AI stance, EU pledged €200B, while the U.S. and UK refused to sign an AI declaration. Mistral AI launched Le Chat, the AI Liability Directive was dropped, and the GPAI Code sparked regulatory concerns.
"Global Gateway" is the EU’s €300 billion initiative to boost "smart, clean, and secure" links in digital, energy, and transport sectors worldwide, supporting emerging economies. Program's success depends on adopting new ideas, methods, and cutting bureaucracy to compete with global powers.
Tech policy circles on both sides of the Atlantic have been abuzz this week regarding outgoing President Biden’s AI diffusion or AI chip export control measures which essentially divide the EU into two tiers.
Analysis of EU innovation, consumer and tech policy
