EU warns US over new AI chips blocks
Export restrictions on cutting-edge microchips will affect some EU countries, including Poland.
Startups
Musk or no Musk, Farage has a plan to capture Britain
The Reform UK leader has broken with Musk over a far-right activist. But it’s his plan to win big that’ll keep Keir Starmer up at night.
Von der Leyenโs mission: Stop Europeโs โslow agonyโ of decline
The European Commission president has pledged to boost the EUโs ability to compete with the U.S. and China.
Europeโs economic apocalypse
Stagnation, flagging competitiveness, Donald Trump โ the continent is facing “an existential challenge.”
Relax Elon โ the EU isnโt an immediate threat to Starlink
The IRISยฒ system will beam encrypted high-speed broadband internet back to governments, spies, militaries and remote regions.
Tech billionaires prepare to invade the Pentagon
A handful of Silicon Valley executives could help transform the countryโs largest bureaucracy โ and benefit themselves while trying.
Europe jumps into โincredibly costlyโ AI supercomputing race
The EU will fund AI-optimized supercomputers across the bloc to help startups compete with U.S. rivals.
Rachel Reeves
Doer No. 6 โ United Kingdom
Will Donald Trump kill US-UK-Aussie sub defense deal?
The landmark defense agreement between the U.S, U.K. and Australia could be in jeopardy with the maverick Republican back in the White House.
Who were the biggest dunces? Final grades for von der Leyenโs first Commission
Whoโs at the top of the class and who flunked? Here are POLITICO’s grades for each 2019-2024 European commissioner.
EU Startups Alliance prepares for formal pan-EU status
The Europe Startup Nations Alliance is planning to become an EDIC, a newly created and rarely used status for government projects.
Trump victory boosts the โcase for spaceโ in Europe, says European Space Agency chief
Europe should be in a position to compete with the U.S. in space, said Josef Aschbacher.
Competition poses the toughest test for climate chief Ribera
Climate expert Teresa Ribera’s second job policing subsidies and deals is real head-scratcher with some big political risks.
EU leaders vow to make bloc more competitive in face of Trump threat
Budapest meeting finds consensus on need to raise growth and productivity as โAmerica firstโ protectionism loomsEU leaders meeting in Budapest have signed a declaration aimed at boosting the blocโs ailing competitiveness โ a task given added urgency by…
Press release – Hearing of Commissioner-designate Ekaterina Zaharieva
On Tuesday, the Industry, Research and Energy Committee questioned Ekaterina Zaharieva, Bulgarian candidate for the Startups, Research and Innovation portfolio.Committee on Industry, Research and Energy Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP
EU to spend โฌ900M on expanding critical technologies
Brussels has lined up cash to prevent European tech companies from falling into foreign hands.
The future EU commissionersโ promises: Everything you need to know
We pored over more than 400 pages of written answers so you donโt have to.
Tech startups urge Commission for pan-European legal status to boost growth
โIf we unify the founder and investor systems, we finally will be able to compete with the USA, China, or India,โ said Andreas Klinger of Prototype Capital.
EU props up โฌ90B investors club to plug tech funding gap
The “trusted” network includes 71 members.
Les 42 personnes qui comptent dans la tech
Ministres, PDG ou lobbyistes, ils faรงonnent le dรฉbat public sur le sujet.
Why Harris isnโt talking about Bidenโs accomplishments
The Democratic nominee isnโt campaigning much on the Biden administrationโs bigger, slower-moving policies
Trade policy: 20 people to meet at Tory conference
POLITICO curates a lineup of the top players influencing the Conservativesโ Brexit and trade policies.
Von der Leyenโs first 100 days: What sheโs promised, what it means and what sheโll really deliver
The Commission president is promising to move quickly with far-reaching reforms. How credible is her plan?
Tech policy: 20 people to meet at Labour conference
We break down the 20 figures inside and outside government shaping Labourโs tech policy.
The 5 commissioners most likely to get the chop
Once every five years the European Parliament gets to pick off a nominee or two โ and rarely fails to do so.
Meet the commissioners: Class of 2024
Everything you need to know about Ursula von der Leyen’s team for her second term.
Ursula von der Leyenโs new European Commission
Commission president hands out the top jobs in her new team.
EU forms investors club amid tech doom and gloom
Investors are tipped to co-invest in capital-intensive tech alongside the EU’s fund.
Crypto is the new Trump family business. Ethics watchdogs have concerns.
The former presidentโs eldest sons are gearing up to launch a new cryptocurrency venture.
Coordinated Action to unlock GovTech Potential: Connecting Startups and Public Authorities for Enhanced Public Services [Promoted content]
GovTech has the potential to enhance public services but faces challenges like complex regulations and lack of awareness. In addition to EU-led projects such as SPIN4EIC, GovTech Connect and PSTW, such issues can be addressed by a unified EU platform f…
Steve Hilton, the British ex-Fox News host, wants to run for California governor
Hilton has supported Trump, but heโs also leaned into his own brand of โpositive populism.โ
Donโt go head-to-head with Musk on space internet, satellite CEO tells Europe
Europe should look beyond space internet and start planning for a military-grade surveillance system instead.
Crypto PAC will spend $12M backing Republican in Ohio race that could flip Senate
A crypto super PAC will also go on the air backing the Democratic Senate candidates Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elisa Slotkin in Michigan.
Musk might be the only person Trump listens to on climate
The billionaire Tesla CEO has Trumpโs ear. Hereโs what he might tell the former president about rising temperatures, clean energy and making money.
Wary of Trump, Azerbaijan, businesses shun COP climate talks
Companies are anxiously wondering: Can we get hotel rooms? What about the autocratic regime hosting? What if Trump wins?
Chinese firms stockpile high-end Samsung chips as they await new US curbs
Chinese tech giants including Huawei and Baidu as well as startups are stockpiling high bandwidth memory (HBM) semiconductors from Samsung Electronics in anticipation of US curbs on exports of the chips to China, three sources said.
Franceโs Gourmey submits first EU application for cultivated meat
The Paris startup wants Europeans munching cell-grown foie gras by 2026.
Ukraine rushes to create AI-enabled war drones
In Ukraine, a handful of startups are developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to help fly a vast fleet of drones, taking warfare into uncharted territory as combatants race to gain a technological edge in battle.
The Imperative of Net Neutrality for Europeโs Startup Ecosystem [Promoted content]
Maintaining net neutrality is crucial for Europe’s startup ecosystem to foster innovation, economic growth, and strategic autonomy. Introducing network fees would harm startups, stifling their ability to compete and innovate, ultimately weakening the E…
How Europe screwed up its rocket program
One successful test launch doesn’t mean that Europe’s struggles in the space race are over.
What Nigel Farage learned from the American right
The U.K. Brexit leader hopes to emulate his friend Donald Trump’s destruction of the center right.
Rishi Sunakโs California escape hatch: His $7.2 million beach home
The UK leaderโs luxe penthouse and deep California ties have fueled speculation about where he could land if he winds up out of office.
Europeโs at risk of losing the global tech race
As this competition is ultimately a race for progress, wealth and geostrategic influence, its importance for the Continentโs future cannot be overvalued.
Sawdust toilets and chairs that crash cars: inside Copenhagenโs radical design festival
The 11th edition of 3daysofdesign favours family businesses over tech startups, with over 400 designers (including a Norwegian postman) exhibiting workAt the Verpan showroom, a space dedicated to the work of Verner Panton, the renowned Danish designerโ…
Von der Leyen pledges โฌ1.4B for investments in Ukraine
Banks will be able to apply for EU budget support when investing in equity funds active in Ukraine, von der Leyen said.
Manfred Weber has already won the European Parliament election. Can he handle what comes next?
Ursula von der Leyen needs her frenemyโs support to secure another term as European Commission president. Will he deliver?
France to the US: Leave the tiny nuclear reactors to us
The EU invited U.S. firms to help develop these futuristic atomic reactors. But Paris is wary of having Americans “stick their noses in.”
European startups call for a more integrated single market in declaration
Associations of European startups called for more integration of the EU’s single market to better support innovators in a political declaration.
How Dominic Cummingsโ favorite AI firm captured the British government
Faculty has emerged as the UKโs homegrown champion in AI safety โ though some question its political links.
Doppel-รrger fรผr von der Leyenย
Das Briefing dazu, wie sich Entscheidungen in Brรผssel auf Sie auswirken. Mit dem Wissen des grรถรten Newsrooms der europรคischen Hauptstadt. Im Browser anzeigen oder hier anhรถren von JรRGEN KLรCKNER Mit LAURA HรLSEMANN und JULIUS BRINKMANN DIE TOP-THEMEN โ Von der Leyen 1: Spaniens Umweltministerin gilt als aussichtsreiche Kandidatin fรผr einen Kommissions-Posten. An ihrer mรถglichen kรผnftigen [โฆ]
Microsoft goes from bad boy to top cop in the age of AI
The tech company fields teams of disinformation-hunters, computer scientists and policy officials in a bid to stop artificial intelligence from gatecrashing the 2024 global election cycle.
The Brief โ The curious case of โpartnershipโ in the AI landscape
โPartnershipsโ between big tech firms and AI startups are under the regulatory microscope. The likes of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have rushed to build strong collaborations with the rising stars of the AI world, such as OpenAI, Mistral AI, and Stab…
Rรฉunion รฉlectrique ร Bercy
La source dโinformations quotidiennes sur lโรฉnergie et le climat en France. Par NICOLAS CAMUT Avec AUDE LE GENTIL et ARTHUR NAZARET Infos et tuyaux ร partager ? Ecrivez ร Nicolas Camut, Aude Le Gentil et Arthur Nazaret | Voir dans le navigateur AU MENU โ Roland Lescure veut rรฉconcilier EDF avec les gourmands en รฉlectricitรฉ. [โฆ]
Letta to recommend creation of EU Deep Tech Stock Exchange
Europe’s stock market are plagued by problems that prevent deep tech startups from getting the funding they need, Letta wrote.
Von der Leyen struggles to quell revolt over controversial business envoy pick
Commission’s top level tussle is a sign that political tensions are flaring ahead of European elections in June.
From Doctor Botox to Facebookโs top lobbyist, meet the folks who left politics to cash in
Olivier Vรฉran and Nick Clegg are just two of the ex-politicians who’ve gone off to make the big bucks.
Can anyone control AI?
Inside the shadowy global battle to tame the world’s most dangerous technology.
AI Actโs global effects might be overstated, experts say
The policymakers behind the EU’s AI Act, passed by the European Parliament with a large majority on 13 March, aimed to set a new global standard for regulating the technology, but not everyone agrees the impact will be as vast as promised.
A new era of space flight: ESA’s partnership with private companies takes off
SpaceX launched Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket, for the third time on Thursday. The spacecraft is an essential part of NASA’s Artemis programme, a partnership that embodies a concept known as “new space” or privatised space flight. The…
US startup has first prototype hypersonic missile test
Castelion, a startup trying to build a hypersonic weapon for the Pentagon, tested its system for the first time, it said on Monday (11 March), as a growing group of small hypersonic arms makers challenge large defense contractors with less expensive, r…
Big debt and little budget
SNEAK PEEK โ Government should measure debt management better, MPs say. โ Budget latest as Hunt looks to play it safe. โ Banks try to solve Companies House mystery. Good morning readers! Budget day beckons โฆ are you excited? Today weโve got a damning report from MPs, budget goss, and depressing mortgage stats. Just another [โฆ]
EU balks at Microsoftโs deal with French AI startup
Mistral’s AI pact with U.S. tech giant Microsoft comes after bitter lobbying over how Europe can push into the next tech wave.
An SMEโs call for fair play in the SEP landscape
Anticompetitive tech licensing tactics create a โDavid and Goliathโ power imbalance in the world of standard-essential patents โ but the proposed SEP Regulation can benefit EU economy, innovation and SMEs.
German government provides additional funding for tech start-ups
The German government plans to support local tech start-ups with โฌ1.75 billion but experts point out the envisaged funding would be a drop in the ocean, given that Germany is lagging far behind internationally in this field.
30 Things Joe Biden Did as President You Might Have Missed
Drone armies, expanded overtime pay and over-the-counter birth control pills are just some of the new things Biden has ushered in as president that you might not have heard about.
To shush AI Act critics, the EU fine-tunes innovation pitch
As Europe concludes work on its AI rulebook, some detractors worry it could dull the bloc’s competitive edge.
Kroes files closed: EU no longer probing ex-Uber lobbyist
Leaked Uber messages detailed ex-digital commissioner’s advocacy efforts during her EU ‘cooling off’ period.
On AI, von der Leyen sees glass half full in Davos
The Commission president calls herself a ‘tech optimist’ at World Economic Forum.
A starring role for NASA in Bidenโs push to end cancer
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are using microgravity to unlock the diseaseโs secrets.
Europeโs Silicon Valley? No thanks
The UK has grand plans for Cambridge. But the city has other ideas.
Inside the culture clash dominating the AI debate in the US
Effective altruism is increasingly described as a cult. But as the movementโs billionaire adherents pour money into Washington, its obsession with the AI apocalypse is remaking the capitalโs tech policy landscape.
EU negotiators strike political deal on AI Act
Commissioner Thierry Breton calls rulebook the bloc’s chance to ‘lead the global AI race.’
Franceโs AI hopes collide with French love of regulating tech
Many companies fear that regulating advanced AI models could deter innovation.
Belgiumโs tech bro: Alexander De Croo
The prime minister of Belgium is really a tech geek.
Deal on global climate damages likely to be struck Thursday at COP28
The agreement was expected at the opening of the summit, five diplomats told POLITICO โ leaving delegates with one less thing to argue about.
Lobbying for Loopholes: The Battle Over Foundation Models in the EU AI Act [Promoted content]
The United Statesโ Big Tech companies, European countries, well-connected European startups, and former French Ministers are all using their considerable influence and political capital to drastically alter the European rules on Artificial Intelligence…
Power grab by France, Germany and Italy threatens to kill EUโs AI bill
Landmark law hangs in the balance as big countries drag their feet on advanced AI rules.
EU wards off Russian tech investment via its startup fund
Russian investors ‘are totally banned’ from co-investing with the EU’s venture capital fund, its board president says.
Rishi Sunak performs delicate balancing act in Big Tech lobbying battle
The UK has caved in to some of Big Techโs demands on its landmark competition bill but not its key ask.
Viktor Orbรกn brings culture war to Brussels
Hungary backs media outlets that wage war on woke and bring a Euroskeptic take to the EU capital.
British deputy PM throws backing behind open source AI
Oliver Dowden downplays artificial intelligence risks.
From WWE wrestling to global AI summit: The unlikely rise of Michelle Donelan
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has found a surprise ally in his tech secretary, who will lead the first day of his artificial intelligence summit.
How Matt Clifford became Britainโs most powerful tech adviser
The 37-year-old investor has traveled from London to Washington and Beijing to brief politicians and tech execs on this weekโs AI summit.
France, Germany pave the way to making weapons in Ukraine
As Western armies’ stocks start to dry up, governments encourage the private sector to build partnerships with Kyiv.
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt defends Chinaโs invitation to AI summit
Hunt begins a multi-day visit to major US tech companies on Wednesday as the country aims to expand its own artificial intelligence and life sciences industries.
Vestager cautions about defense, nuclear investments in EIB pitch
The European Investment Bank is ‘for everybody,’ Dane says in an effort to win wider support for job bid.
The EUโs climate tech policies require increased creativity to succeed
The EU is at risk of lagging behind with strategic climate technologies, unless the right incentives and investments are put in place to unlock the potential of European startup companies, writes Craig Douglas.ย
Macron to discuss AI with Scholz during Germany visit
France wants to boost French and European firms in the race for AI domination against the US.
6 takeaways on incoming EU innovation chiefโs parliament grilling
Bulgaria’s nominee for EU research and culture commissioner sailed through European Parliament grilling.
EU research chief nominee wants โstronger ties with like-minded countriesโ
Funds can keep Europe ‘at the forefront’ amid geopolitical challenges, Iliana Ivanova said ahead of a European Parliament grilling.
Is Europe sleepwalking into tech irrelevance?
Itโs become clichรฉ to talk about inventions that can โchange the worldโ, but when it comes to transversal technologies โ cross-cutting tools with the potential to transform multiple industries โ the moniker feels like an understatement, writes Andrew C…
From Napolรฉon to Macron: How France learned to love Big Brother
The 2024 Summer Olympics will spotlight a surveillance state which Paris has spent 200 years building.
Jeremy Huntโs plan to turn pension pots into startup funding
UK chancellor outlined the policy as part of a speech detailing how he planned to turn Britain into the next Silicon Valley.
Unitary patent system key for European SMEs, but not all countries ready to join
The newly launched unitary patent system adopted by 17 member states is expected to boost Europeโs competitiveness and support SMEs and startups, according to the European Patent Office, which hopes more countries will join the system in the coming yea…