Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/9641915

One of the three goals of the European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) proposal is the step “contributing to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of the Ukrainian defence technological and industrial base and progressive integration into the European, thereby contributing to mutual stability, security, peace, prosperity and sustainability.”

For this, Ukraine should be allowed to become a full member of any country-consortium to jointly procure military equipment with other EU member states, have access to EU funds, and VAT-exemption when for joint ownership, the draft text states.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/12713988

EU Commission fines Apple over €1.8 billion over abusive App store rules for music streaming providers

The European Commission has fined Apple over €1.8 billion for abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users (‘iOS users') through its App Store. In particular, the Commission found that Apple applied restrictions on app developers preventing them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app (‘anti-steering provisions'). This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.

More than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations take part in drills lasting nearly two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden.

With over 4,000 Finnish soldiers taking part, the Norway-led Nordic Response 2024 represents the NATO newcomer's largest ever participation in a foreign exercise, according to Finland's military.

“For the first time, Finland will participate as a NATO member nation in exercising collective defense of the alliance’s regions,” the Finnish Defense Forces said in a statement.

The Swedish Armed Forces said about 4,500 personnel from its air force, army and navy would take part in the drill, which is being conducted in demanding Arctic winter conditions.

The controversial appointment of German CDU MEP Markus Pieper as the new EU envoy for small and medium-sized enterprises has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Pieper got the job even though he was not the top candidate recommended by independent selection committees or Commissioner Thierry Breton. The SME Envoy will work with Breton and the Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW).

According to various sources, Dlabajová of the Czech Republic and Anna Stellinger of Sweden scored at least 30% higher than Pieper in the assessments, highlighting concerns about Pieper’s appointment.

In addition to the issue of qualifications, the other two leading candidates are women from under-represented countries, which is at odds with von der Leyen’s pledge to promote women in top positions and geographical balance in the EU institutions.

Looks like the upgrade of lemmy.world finality fixed the statistics. Went from about 800 monthly users yesterday to over 5000 today. Not bad for a small hobby project.

Keep the quality content coming and let's continue building this community.

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/9603101

Several separate and parallel initiatives — the EU-led ammunition plan, a Czech-led bulk ammunition purchase and a series of bilateral security deals between Ukraine and individual Western countries — should ship at least 700,000 shells over the next couple of months.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said some 15 countries had shown interest in Prague’s initiative, which has identified 800,000 units of urgently needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine on world markets.

Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US and Canada have already announced contributions, with more expected around the ministerial in Paris.

“There is hope that we will be able to put together a significant amount of resources,” Tomáš Kopečný, Czech governmental envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine, said.

"We have already a very good track record with two EU Member States [Denmark, Netherlands], who are very keen on transparency and great public procurement track record and public financing,” Kopečný said, adding, that he hopes other partners will join in the next weeks.

Defence and foreign affairs from more than 20 countries are also expected to meet in Paris this week to discuss their support for Ukraine.

meduza.io/en/short/2024/03/03/…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier in the week that the Moldovan government "is following in the footsteps of Kyiv" after Transdniestria turned to Moscow to help its economy withstand "pressure" from the Moldovan government, which the Chisinau administration dismissed as a propaganda event.

"Minister Lavrov and the Kremlin regime have no moral right to lecture on democracy and freedom," Moldova's Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"A country that imprisons opposition politicians and kills them, unreasonably attacks its neighbours, has nothing to offer the world but blood and pain."

Léon Gautier was famous in France as the last representative of the "Kieffer Commando", the only French unit to take part in the Allied D-Day landings on Normandy beaches in June 1944. As the 80th anniversary of D-Day approaches, some are seeing opportunities for financial gain. His descendants have decided to seek legal assistance to prevent any abusive or commercial use of his image.

At a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday, no majority could be established for the law, which had been previously agreed, due to Berlin and Rome’s last-minute objections reflecting concerns that the new legislation would hurt their industrial base.

The aim of the due diligence law is for companies to take responsibility for any human rights abuses or environmental damage found in their supply chains. It would also enable campaigners to take businesses to court for harm they cause.

Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has been accused of using forced labour and ordering the mass detention of local Uyghurs, has become a significant issue for German chemical maker BASF and carmaker Volkswagen. Both companies have come under intense criticism from human rights activists and investors for their plants in the region. Beijing denies repressing the Uyghurs.

Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon spa was forced to evacuate on Saturday as meteorologists warned of an “imminent” volcanic eruption nearby.

The spa has faced a series of closures over recent months as a wave of seismic activity continues to affect the country.

According to Iceland’s national broadcaster, lava has begun flowing after “intense seismic activity” in the area around the lagoon.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday promised a full investigation after what appeared to be a recording of confidential army talks on the Ukraine war was posted on Russian social media, in a potentially huge embarrassment for Berlin.

Most recently, on Wednesday, a "congress of deputies of all levels" convened in Tiraspol, Transnistria's nominal capital, and passed a resolution to ask Russia for protection in the face of "increasing pressure" and the "economic war" unleashed by Moldova.

The majority of Moldovans are pro-Europe, many hold Romanian — and therefore EU — passports, and hundreds of thousands work in EU countries.

But Pro-Russian parties, which are financed among others by the Israel-based pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor, are waging bitter campaigns against pro-EU President Maia Sandu and the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Dorin Recean. Social media there are also awash with pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation.

A presidential election and a referendum on the country's accession to the EU are due to be held this fall. According to Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi, the authorities are "already seeing attempts to destabilize the situation" in the country.

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/9556213

Kozyreva's defiance, demonstrated through social media posts and public displays of anti-war poetry, has led to her arrest and potential two-year penal colony sentence, spotlighting the ongoing struggle for freedom of expression in Russia.

"Hungary’s willingness to enter security arrangements with Xi Jinping and do the bidding of Vladimir Putin while, simultaneously, maintain membership in NATO and the EU is deeply troubling and presents an existential crisis for those alliances," writes Elaine Dezenski, senior director and head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in the U.S.

The €3.8 billion Serbia-Hungary railway project, financed by Chinese loans under the BRI, is expected to be completed by 2025, but some estimates suggest that it will take a further 979 years — or nearly a millennium — for Hungary to break even on the project.

Hungary’s BRI issues are not unique. As described in a new report on the BRI, "Tightening the Belt or End of the Road", many BRI projects around the world face serious challenges, from hydroelectric dams with thousands of cracks in Ecuador, to promised infrastructure that was never built in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to massive debt distress in Zambia.

"Despite the problems for host countries and the large portfolio of failing loans for China, Beijing has still been successful at building influence across authoritarian-leaning regimes, who are eager to follow the Chinese model of single-party state control and high-tech domestic repression," Dezenski says..

While Western states have awoken to the risk of overreliance on Chinese supply lines, Hungarian officials are taking the opposite approach, going so far as to call de-risking suicidal.

This position, however, doesn’t impact Hungary alone. The entire EU market is open to Chinese manipulations through the Hungarian economy, such as dumping of cheap goods to prop up the failing Chinese economy or undermining domestic European industries with subsidised competitors.

As German chemical giant BASF seeks to disengage from China’s Xinjiang region, leaked documents indicate that China is planning to build a chemical hub in Hungary.

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/9555080

Western sanctions applied in the wake of the initial invasion disrupted Russia’s ability to reach some European audiences with its state-sponsored media outlets. But Russia has since adjusted its information operations to focus more on social media; in addition to attacking Western public support to fund Ukraine’s defense, it has expanded targeted propaganda efforts in different parts of the world, including Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

In the second year of its war, faced with international sanctions, a damaged reputation, and the ban of state-sponsored RT and Sputnik in many Western countries, Russia shifted toward more targeted and tailored influence operations, using TikTok, Telegram, and other social platforms to expand its international audience—especially in the Global South, where Russian state media are still big players. Russia also deepened its cooperation in the media and information spheres with sympathetic countries.

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/9528778

For Kyiv to win, there should be “no self-imposed restriction on military assistance to Ukraine”, with Parliament reaffirming the need to provide the country with whatever is needed to regain full control over its internationally recognised territory.

The resolution underlines the urgency for a solid legal regime to allow Russian state-owned assets frozen by the EU to be confiscated and used for reconstructing Ukraine and to compensate victims of the war. Russia must be obliged to pay reparations imposed on it to ensure that it contributes substantially to rebuilding Ukraine.