# data[].attributes.headline
Spain plans 100% tax for homes bought by non-EU residents

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Spain plans 100% tax for homes bought by non-EU residents

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Spain plans 100% tax for homes bought by non-EU residents

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The measure is meant to help tackle the country’s housing crisis, the prime minister said.

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Amanda Liang, Taipei; Charlene Chen, DIGITIMES Asia

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EU urges Trump to reverse Biden’s AI export ban affecting 17 member states

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The European Commission (EC) has voiced strong opposition to the Biden administration’s expansion of export controls on AI chips and large language models (LLMs) to most regions worldwide.

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Sweden seeks to change constitution to be able to revoke citizenships

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Sweden seeks to change constitution to be able to revoke citizenships

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STOCKHOLM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Sweden is preparing to change the constitution to be able to take away the passports of people who obtained citizenship by fraudulent means, or who are a threat to the state, the government said on Wednesday.

People with dual nationality who received citizenship by providing false information, bribery or threats, as well as people convicted of crimes like espionage or treason could be stripped of their Swedish passports if the law is passed.

"The background is that Sweden is dealing with three parallel and very serious threats to our internal security," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a news conference. "Violent extremism, state actors acting in a hostile manner towards Sweden, as well as systemic and organized crime."

Sweden's minority government and its backers, the far-right and anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, won the 2022 election on a promise to keep reducing immigration and gang crime, which they say are linked. Stockholm granted the lowest number of residence permits to asylum seekers and their relatives on record in 2024.

The proposals to revoke citizenship were put forward by a cross-party parliamentary committee. To change the Swedish constitution, the proposals need to pass a vote in parliament with a simple majority, followed by a general election and then a second Riksdag vote.

The right-wing government parties and their backers wanted to go further to also be able to revoke the citizenship of gang criminals with dual citizenship, but that proposal did not make it into the committee proposal.

Around 20% of Sweden's 10.5 million citizens were born abroad.

Earlier this week, the government proposed that the time before an immigrant living in Sweden can apply for citizenship be raised to eight years from five.

The committee also recommended making the right to abortion part of the constitution.

Sign up here.

Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Sharon Singleton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

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Sweden seeks to change constitution to be able to revoke citizenships

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Sweden is preparing to change the constitution to be able to take away the passports of people who obtained citizenship by fraudulent means, or who are a threat to the state, the government said on Wednesday.

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European Commission - European Commission

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New EU rules to improve Gender Balance in corporate boards enter into application

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The Gender Balance on Corporate Boards Directive entered into application at the end of 2024, aiming for a more balanced gender representation on the boards of listed companies across all EU Member States.

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Germany says meat sales to EU not to be stopped

Sales of German meat, dairy to EU possible outside quarantine area

EU not to follow import ban imposed by Britain

HAMBURG, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Germany's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday it expects meat and dairy product exports to the European Union to continue despite a case of the foot-and-mouth disease affecting livestock being confirmed last week.

German authorities confirmed the country's first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in nearly 40 years on Friday in a herd of water buffalo on the outskirts of Berlin in the Brandenburg region.

Foot-and-mouth disease hits cloven-hoofed ruminants including cattle, pigs, sheep and goats and in past decades needed major slaughtering campaigns to eradicate. Measures to contain the highly infectious disease, which poses no danger to humans, often involve bans on imports of meat and dairy products from affected countries, with Britain, South Korea and Mexico among countries imposing import bans on Germany this week.

Germany's government warned even one case could bring the country's meat and dairy exports outside the EU to a standstill.

But the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday it had been informed the European Union Commission had decided Germany's action to impose quarantine zones of around 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) around the farm where foot-and-mouth was discovered is sufficient to permit the use of the "rationalisation" trade principle.

Under this EU rule, imports of meat and dairy products are only restricted from the region where the disease has been confirmed and not from the whole of the affected country.

German agriculture minister Cem Oezdemir said: "After the news last week, the decision from Brussels is a ray of light for farmers."

"The Commission has not expanded the quarantine area imposed in Brandenburg. Meat and dairy products which are produced outside the quarantine area can still be sold in the EU."

Germany's meat exports, mainly pork, have been concentrated on the EU after many countries banned imports after the disease swine fever was discovered in 2020.

Germany said on Tuesday it had found no new foot-and-mouth cases following intensive testing around the area around the first case.

Sign up here.

Reporting by Michael Hogan, Editing by Louise Heavens

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

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Germany sees meat exports to EU continuing after foot-and-mouth case

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Germany's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday it expects meat and dairy product exports to the European Union to continue despite a case of the foot-and-mouth disease affecting livestock being confirmed last week.

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European Council Leaders discuss the EU's role in the world, with emphasis on Ukraine and the Middle East

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European Council Leaders discuss the EU's role in the world, with emphasis on Ukraine and the Middle East

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European Commission - European Commission

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European Council Leaders discuss the EU’s role in the world, with emphasis on Ukraine and the Middle East

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Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined EU Heads of State and Government yesterday for the last European Council summit of the year and the first one under the chairmanship of the new Presid

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Brussels will be watching whether Musk breaks EU law in far-right livestream

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Up to 150 experts in Brussels and Seville will be checking whether Musk's livestream interview boosts the German far right.

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Henry Foy, Raphael Minder, Alice Hancock, Laura Dubois

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Vienna tries to allay Brussels’ fears over looming far-right government

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Also in this newsletter: Poland’s push to back Trump’s 5% Nato defence spending target

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Trump’s return could dash EU’s enlargement ambitions in the Balkans

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Trump’s return could dash EU’s enlargement ambitions in the Balkans

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How Trump’s return to power could stall EU enlargement in the Balkans

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With Donald Trump set to return to the White House, his impact on nationalist movements in the Balkans could stall the EU’s enlargement ambitions i…

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Growth of free migration brought on by the expansion of the Schengen travel zone

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Growth of free migration brought on by the expansion of the Schengen travel zone

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Ceremonies mark full membership of Bulgaria and Romania in Europe’s Schengen travel zone

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Bulgaria and Romania are holding ceremonies to mark their full membership in Europe’s Schengen area, the culmination of years of negotiations by the Eastern European countries to join the ID check-free travel zone

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EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta

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Tech groups urge Donald Trump to intervene against overzealous European regulation

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Young Britons wanting to work or study in EU face ‘tangle of Brexit red tape’

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Young Britons wanting to work or study in EU face ‘tangle of Brexit red tape’

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What is the Future of the European Union's Once Ambitious Green Agenda?

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What is the Future of the European Union's Once Ambitious Green Agenda?

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What Is the Future of the European Union’s Once Ambitious Green Agenda?

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From the rise of the far-right to geopolitical tensions, the future of the European Union’s once ambitious green agenda is uncertain.

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Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms | Johnny Ryan

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The latest actions of Musk and Zuckerberg are a sign of things to come, but the EU already has the power to give people back control, says Johnny Ryan, director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties

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Swedish plan to remove citizenship from people seen as threat to state

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But it stops short of calls by the minority government for gangsters to have their citizenship revoked.

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Migration Policy: European Union Increasingly Outsources Responsibility for Asylum | Heinrich Böll Stiftung

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Externalisation is increasingly seen as a lever for solving the EU’s migration issues, yet poses serious legal, ethical and practical problems.

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Migrant deportation to increase, says EU chief

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Migrant deportation to increase, says EU chief

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Von der Leyen promises to increase EU deportations

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The EU chief made the comments to member states, as Italy kicks off a contested migrant processing scheme.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/frontex-ap-warsaw-poland-european-union-b2679447.html#

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EU threatens to curb access for makers of Chinese medical devices

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Report finds Beijing is discriminating against bloc’s manufacturers in same field

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Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms

# data[].attributes.subject
Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms

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Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms | Johnny Ryan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The latest actions of Musk and Zuckerberg are a sign of things to come, but the EU already has the power to give people back control, says Johnny Ryan, director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties

# data[].attributes.body
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_226

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European Commission - European Commission

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New EU rules on Health Technology Assessment open up a new era for patient access to innovation

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On Sunday, 12 January, the Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) will become applicable, bringing a significant improvement in ensuring that innovative and effective health technologies are available to patients across the EU.

# data[].attributes.body
https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?docid=208741&doclang=EN

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Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

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Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

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Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thinktank’s report details decline in trading position and also calls for new strategy as Trump takes power in US

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Innovating in line with the European Union’s AI Act

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Innovating in line with the European Union’s AI Act

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Innovating in line with the European Union’s AI Act

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As the European Union AI Act takes effect in Feb. 2025, our Office of Responsible AI is ensuring compliance with these new standards while helping customers innovate with AI.

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EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tech groups urge Donald Trump to intervene against overzealous European regulation

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.ft.com/content/e140488a-2a1a-495f-a6b0-0e9e76832eec

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Artificial intelligence to be regulated differently in Northern Ireland and Britain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Latest example of post-Brexit ‘regulatory divergence’ could cause friction in tech sector

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EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tech groups urge Donald Trump to intervene against overzealous European regulation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms | Johnny Ryan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The latest actions of Musk and Zuckerberg are a sign of things to come, but the EU already has the power to give people back control, says Johnny Ryan, director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Slovak Leader Visits Putin, Breaking With E.U.’s Policy of Isolation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Prime Minister Robert Fico’s surprise visit to Moscow on Sunday, reportedly to discuss natural gas and Ukraine, was a blow to European unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Europe's top court has ruled Google must pay a €2.4bn (£2bn) fine handed down for abusing the market dominance of its shopping comparison service.

The tech giant had appealed against the fine, which was originally levied by the European Commission in 2017.

It was at the time the largest penalty the Commission had ever imposed - though it has since been supplanted by a €4.3bn fine, also against Google.

Google said it was "disappointed" with the ruling.

It brings an end to a long-running case that was first brought by British firm Foundem in 2009, when the UK was still part of the EU.

Another of the complainants, shopping comparison site Kelkoo, called the ruling "a win for fair competition and consumer choice" in a post on X.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ), which made today's judgement, said in its ruling the Commission was right to find Google's conduct "discriminatory" and its appeal "must be dismissed in its entirety".

It ordered Google and owner Alphabet to bear their own costs and pay the costs incurred by the European Commission.

In a statement, Google pointed out it had made changes in 2017 to comply with the European Commission's decision.

"Our approach has worked successfully for more than seven years, generating billions of clicks for more than 800 comparison shopping services," it said.

Anne Witt, professor of law at EDHEC Business School's Augmented Law Institute, said it was "an important judgement".

"This is bad news for Google, which has exhausted its legal remedies in this case," she said - while pointing out there could be further problems ahead for the firm.

"Several follow-on actions by injured parties claiming compensation for losses suffered as a consequence of Google's anticompetitive conduct are already pending in national courts."

On Monday, Google was taken to court by the US government over its ad tech business - it has been accused of illegally operating a monopoly. That trial is ongoing.

Last week, UK regulators provisionally concluded Google used anti-competitive practices to dominate the market for online advertising technology.

Rivals squeezed

The EU's case against Google started with Foundem, which filed its complaint against the tech giant in 2009.

At its heart was the contention that Google made its own shopping recommendations appear more prominent than rivals in search results.

Google had tried to argue that the case had no legal or economic merit.

But seven years ago, the Commission agreed that the tech giant effectively monopolised online price comparison by preventing others from getting a foothold in the market.

That decision has now been upheld.

Industry insiders have been keeping a close eye on the EU case, with suggestions that its outcome may illuminate the direction of travel of the many other antitrust cases Google is currently facing from the European Commission.

The search giant has amassed fines of €8.2bn from the Commission, which has repeatedly alleged it abused its dominant market position. These are:

2017: €2.4bn fine over shopping results

2018: €4.3bn fine over claims it used Android software to unfairly promote its own apps

2019: €1.5bn fine for blocking adverts from rival search engines

The EU is also currently investigating the firm over whether it preferences its own goods and services over others in search results, as part of its Digital Markets Act.

If it finds Google guilty, the firm could face a fine of up to 10% of its annual turnover.

It is far from the only clash between the EU and big tech.

In a separate judgement today, the ECJ has told Apple it must pay back €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes to Ireland.

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EU court rules Google must pay €2.4bn fine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google loses its appeal against the fine, handed down for its shopping comparison service.

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Football player transfer rules ruled offside by top EU court

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Judges say FIFA's rules breach footballers' freedom of movement.

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EU sanctions on Russian telco giant MegaFon are valid, judges say

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EU sanctions on Russian telco giant MegaFon are valid, judges say

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
EU sanctions on Russian telco giant MegaFon are valid, judges say

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The EU Court agreed on the need to restrict trade with the Moscow-based mobile operator, as it could be helping the Russian army with its invasion of Ukraine. #EuropeNews

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Nick ThorpeCentral Europe correspondent in Nadlac

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Moment of relief as Romania and Bulgaria join EU border-free zone

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Seventeen years after joining the EU, the two countries are given the green light to join the Schengen zone.

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New EU-Mercosur free trade deal to impact agriculture and olive oil…

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A new free trade deal between Europe and South American countries could impact the agriculture sector and olive oil trade, Olive Oil Times wrote.

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How could Britain and the EU work together to improve health? 

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How could Britain and the EU work together to improve health? 

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How could Britain and the EU work together to improve health?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Striking a somewhat different note from his predecessors, the Prime Minister recently pledged to “reset relationships” with the European Union. While the UK’s policy goals within this strengthened cooperation remain for now vague, there are several concrete measures in health and life sciences that could form part of an attempt to work more closely with the EU. In this long read, Mark Dayan, Tammy Hervey and Cyril Lobont argue that by focusing on the goal of improving health, it should be possible to build a moral, legal and political case for change.

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Sweden to demand 'honest life' from migrants wanting citizenship

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tougher rules requiring an eight-year residency and a clean criminal record are likely to be brought in under the latest plans to curb migration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thinktank’s report details decline in trading position and also calls for new strategy as Trump takes power in US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Jordan, Morocco next in line for comprehensive EU deals - Šuica

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The next Commission is to include a Mediterranean portfolio, highlighting the geopolitical importance the EU puts on its neighbouring region. #EuropeNews

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EU set to crack down on Asian online retailers Temu and Shein

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The UK wants to do its ‘own thing’ on AI regulation, suggesting a divergence from U.S. and EU

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A U.K. government minister told CNBC it’s important for the U.K. to “do our own thing” when it comes to regulating powerful artificial intelligence models.

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EU too slow to tackle single market abuse, say industry bodies

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Number of cases opened against member states for breaches of EU law has dropped sharply

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At the time, the EU had not assigned that status to the US, where Facebook's parent company Meta stores much of its data.

Mr Bindl had claimed that transferring his data abroad "gave rise to a risk of his data being accessed by the US security and intelligence services".

He had claimed €400 for "non-material damage" and had demanded a further €800 for infringing his right to access information when the Commission failed to reply to his request about the data transfer.

The court rejected the second request, as well as a claim that data had also been moved to Amazon cloud hosting servers in the US after it emerged that the data was in fact stored in Munich.

"The General Court finds that the Commission committed a sufficiently serious breach of a rule of law that is intended to confer rights on individuals," it said.

The GDPR is among the world's strictest data protection regimes and has resulted in huge fines for several technology companies.

Meta was fined €1.2bn in 2023 for transferring users' data to the US without adequate safeguards after a multi-year spat that had seen the social media giant suggest it could shut down its services in Europe.

Last year, the European data watchdog reprimanded the EU for failing to ensure data was protected as part of a contract with Microsoft.

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EU fines itself after accidentally breaching its own data rules

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Court orders European Union to pay €400 to German after failing to comply with GDPR regime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
EU investigates TikTok over alleged Russian meddling in Romanian vote

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Romania’s election was cancelled after thousands of TikTok accounts were activated backing a little-known candidate.

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EU’s migration commissioner in Athens for talks on migration pact, returns policy

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Magnus Brunner, the European Union’s new commissioner for migration and internal affairs, is in Athens to discuss the bloc’s migration policies with Greece, which has long been one of the major entry points into the EU for migrants.

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Spain plans 100% tax for homes bought by non-EU residents

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The measure is meant to help tackle the country’s housing crisis, the prime minister said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Open borders in EU has led to ‘mass migration crisis’, says Priti Patel

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Home secretary says policy to blame as France ‘overwhelmed’ with migrants trying to reach UK

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Iran releases jailed Italian journalist Cecilia Sala

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PM Giorgia Meloni has informed the reporter’s family.

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Europe must take responsibility for its own security, says Polish minister

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‘Very difficult time’ anticipated as Poland takes over EU presidency against backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty

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European Commission - European Commission

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New EU rules on Health Technology Assessment open up a new era for patient access to innovation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On Sunday, 12 January, the Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) will become applicable, bringing a significant improvement in ensuring that innovative and effective health technologies are available to patients across the EU.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thinktank’s report details decline in trading position and also calls for new strategy as Trump takes power in US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thinktank’s report details decline in trading position and also calls for new strategy as Trump takes power in US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Nick ThorpeCentral Europe correspondent in Nadlac

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Moment of relief as Romania and Bulgaria join EU border-free zone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seventeen years after joining the EU, the two countries are given the green light to join the Schengen zone.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fall in UK trade with EU should spur rewrite of post-Brexit rules, says IPPR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thinktank’s report details decline in trading position and also calls for new strategy as Trump takes power in US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
‘TARIFFS all the way!!!’: EU mulls carrots and sticks to counter Trump on trade

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Bloc may ward off incoming president’s threats by buying more US goods, or impose its own tariffs in retaliation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Up to Greenland to decide its future, Danish PM tells Trump

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In her call with Trump, Mette Frederiksen also reiterated the Greenland PM’s comments that it was “not for sale”