Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Technology · page 4 of 5
Fragmented grids and strict regulation slow European builds, but analysts argue scarcity creates long-term value and forces design flexibility that US hyperscalers may later need.
Brussels delays its AI Act and rewrites GDPR to let firms train models on personal data without consent, while Washington moves to block states from regulating the technology at all.
The European Commission has proposed postponing stricter obligations for high-risk artificial intelligence systems by two years, while allowing anonymised personal data to train models and cutting cookie consent requirements.
The digital omnibus package would give high-risk AI developers up to 18 months more to comply and allow personal data to train models without explicit consent, drawing accusations of a major rollback from rights groups.
The European Commission will propose postponing obligations for high-risk AI systems until August 2026, conceding that technical standards are not ready and yielding to lobbying from Washington and tech companies.
Draft documents reveal far-reaching changes to privacy law including new exceptions for AI training on sensitive personal data and a redefinition of what counts as personal information.
The European Commission is considering a one-year grace period for high-risk AI breaches and pushing transparency fines to 2027, after lobbying from the Trump administration and European industrial groups.
Brussels begins eight months of negotiations on a voluntary code of practice, but tech groups warn the timeline is unrealistic and technical solutions remain immature.
The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that both platforms failed to give researchers adequate access to public data, while Meta also fell short on user tools for reporting illegal content and appealing moderation decisions.
Chinese firms control 65 percent of installed solar capacity in Europe. Lawmakers want binding restrictions on high-risk vendors before the next grid incident.
The European Commission will unveil a sweeping simplification package on 19 November targeting cookies, cybersecurity reporting and the AI Act, but civil society and MEPs warn the move risks deregulation by stealth.
Roger Dassen tells Dutch election event that Europe's regulatory-first approach is driving away the people needed to build a competitive artificial intelligence sector.
Brussels plans to scrap the 2009 e-Privacy Directive that spawned ubiquitous pop-up banners, but privacy advocates warn the move could weaken protections against surveillance advertising.
Parliament approves legislation aligning with EU AI Act after year of debate, introducing criminal penalties for harmful AI-generated content and parental consent rules for children under 14.
The company says a March European Commission decision on interoperability forces it to withhold the feature from European users, but the Commission insists the rules do not prevent product launches.
European Commission president tells Strasbourg plenary the bloc will not weaken the Digital Services Act or Digital Markets Act despite US pressure and tariff threats targeting American platforms.
Henna Virkkunen tells US Congress the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act will stay in force, while Macron warns of retaliation under the EU anti-coercion instrument.
Brussels says regulation is a sovereign right after US president calls European tech laws discriminatory and warns of substantial new tariffs and chip export restrictions.
With 30 million users on Replika alone and evidence of tragic consequences, Brussels is struggling to fit emotional AI relationships into a regulatory framework designed for functional risks.
The European Commission's Code of Practice for general-purpose AI models takes effect this weekend, creating a voluntary compliance period before the full AI Act applies in 2026. Google, OpenAI and Mistral have signed; Meta says the code exceeds the legislation.
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