Tag: eu

Czech President Urges EU to Change Course and Take a Diplomatic Approach with Russia

In a candid interview with BBC Ukraine, Czech President Petr Pavel, a former general with decades of military experience, offered a pragmatic assessment of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Pavel emphasized the need for diplomatic pressure and negotiation to achieve a sustainable resolution.

Pavel, who assumed office in early 2023 after a career dedicated to the Czech armed force, has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. His recent remarks signal a shift towards a conservative approach focused on minimizing human and economic costs.

Pavel’s perspective comes amid stalled Ukrainian counteroffensives and mounting international fatigue. Reflecting on the conflict’s trajectory, he acknowledged Russia’s limited tactical victories, such as the occupation of certain territories, but highlighted the exorbitant price Moscow has paid in lives and resources.

“Russia has several tactical successes. They managed to seize some parts of Ukrainian territory, but their advance is worth great sacrifices and losses,” Pavel said. “I think this is a very, very high price for land grabbing.”

He praised Ukraine’s defensive efforts, noting their effectiveness in inflicting heavy damage on Russian forces and holding strategic positions.

However, Pavel warned that prolonging the war in its current state could extend for an indefinite period, a outcome he deemed unacceptable. “If the war continues in the same spirit, it will last for years, he stated, adding that such a scenario benefits no one.

Central to Pavel’s strategy is a balanced Western response. He supports the continued bolstering of Ukraine’s defenses to demonstrate that Russia cannot prevail militarily, while ramping up non-lethal pressures to push Moscow toward talks, so that “[Russia] understands that solutions can be found only at the negotiating table”.

Pavel expressed confidence in the combined economic might of the United States and Europe as the most potent weapon against Russian aggression. He predicted that Russia’s economy, already strained, would buckle under intensified sanctions, compelling it to negotiate sooner rather than later.

The Czech leader was forthright about the harsh realities facing Ukraine, arguing against demands for a hasty full liberation of occupied lands which could inflict significant human casualties. “We do not want to exterminate the Ukrainian people,” Pavel explained.

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Environmental Regulations Are Literally Baking Europeans to Death

Much of the U.S. has been suffering a sweltering heat wave for the past two weeks. Though uncomfortable, particularly in areas with nearly 100 percent humidity like Washington, D.C., most Americans experience heat waves as a sweaty annoyance. Our European counterparts are not so fortunate, thanks to excessive regulations driving up the price of energy and outright banning certain air conditioning units.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put 130 million Americans “under extreme heat warnings or heat advisories [last] Thursday…with 282 locations breaking daily heat records,” according to The Guardian. CNN reported that at least one death in the St. Louis area was ascribed to the heat wave, but mass casualties have not been suffered stateside. Meanwhile, in Europe, eight people have died across the continent as of Wednesday: four in Spain (two were killed in a wildfire that is believed to be driven by hot, dry conditions), two in France, and two more in Italy, per Al Jazeera. 

The situation was even worse during the summer of 2023. The U.K. Health Security Agency estimated that 2,295 deaths were associated with excessive heat. The U.S., meanwhile, recorded nearly the same number of heat-related deaths (2,325), despite having a population (335 million) nearly five times greater than the U.K. population (​​68 million) at the time.

The United Nations estimates that the European continent accounted for approximately 175,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019. The Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, calculates that about 1,300 deaths per year in the U.S. are due to extreme heat. (This translates to four heat-related deaths per million annually in the U.S. and 235 heat-related deaths per million annually across Europe.)

There are myriad reasons why there are so many more heat-related deaths in Europe than there are in the United States. But the most significant explanation might just be the simplest: air conditioning.

David S. Jones, a physician and historian at Harvard University, told CNN in 2023 that the disparity is explained by some combination of the U.S. underreporting its numbers and heat being more lethal in Europe due to the lack of air conditioning. The American-European disparity along this latter dimension could hardly be greater: nearly 90 percent of U.S. households have air conditioning, whereas less than 10 percent of European homes do. The productivity gap between the U.S. and Europe helps explain this disparity.

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This Newly Implemented Online Speech Code Just Gave European Censors Another Weapon

Under the shadow of the European Union’s Digital Services Act censorship regime, Europeans already face fines, raids, and arrests for their social media posts, but starting July 1, the Code of Conduct on Disinformation has the force of law. The once-voluntary “code,” a 56-page document that spells out censorship strategies, is now an enforceable “benchmark” that the EU can use to measure tech companies’ censorship regimes.

The Code requires large online platforms to meet “tougher transparency and auditing obligations aimed at stamping out disinformation,” according to Tech Policy Press. Previously, the Code operated as a “self-regulatory framework” for tech companies before the EU “endorsed” its “integration” into the DSA.

The DSA “regulates online intermediaries and platforms” to police so-called “disinformation.” Under the law, which went into full effect last year, tech companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and X are required to undergo independent audits that “assess” their management of “disinformation risks,” Tech Policy Press reported. The Code commitments will act as “benchmarks” for these assessments, where applicable.

In April of 2023, the EU designated 19 large tech companies required to comply with the DSA. All of these companies serve more than 45 million monthly users in the EU, and 14 of them are U.S.-based, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco told The Federalist. As of June, the Commission is still “supervising” these tech companies under the DSA.

“The EU is trying to impose its draconian, very restrictive free speech regime on the world,” Tedesco said in an interview.

Full adherence to the Code is now a “marker of DSA compliance” for companies, according to Tech Policy Press. “While signing on [to the Code] remains optional,” “failing to adhere to its commitments may now trigger investigations or fines.”

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‘Delete, Silence, Abolish’: America’s estranged allies ramp up perceived censorship, speech rules

Overt government control of the internet is expanding within America’s increasingly estranged allies and threatening to spill over national boundaries, likely renewing earlier confrontations with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the world’s richest man and creator of America’s newest nascent political party.

The European Union last week made its officially voluntary three-year-old “Code of Practice on Disinformation” legally binding under the Digital Services Act. It’s now a “Code of Conduct” to be used as a “relevant benchmark for determining DSA compliance” for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bing, TikTok, YouTube and Google Search.

These “very large” online platforms and online search engines were already signatories of the 2022 code, whose commitments include taking “stronger measures to demonetise disinformation,” increasing fact-checking across the EU and its languages and improved reduction of “current and emerging manipulative behaviour.”

Australia imposed an age-verification law for harmful content that makes the Texas law recently upheld by the Supreme Court look like a type-your-age prompt, applying to not only pornography but also “violent content” and “themes of suicide, self-harm and disordered eating,” in the words of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.

Last week she registered three of nine “codes” submitted by the online industry, covering “search engine services … enterprise hosting services and internet carriage services such as telcos,” and has sought “additional safety commitments” on remaining codes for “app stores, device manufacturers, social media services and messaging” and broader categories.

The same day, Canada suspended a U.S. tech firm tax to avoid trade recriminations from the Trump administration. Justice Minister Sean Fraser told the Canadian Press that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is taking a “fresh” look at predecessor Justin Trudeau’s proposed Online Harms Act, which went down in Trudeau’s political downfall.

Anti-censorship group Reclaim the Net flagged pressure on Carney’s government to revive C-63, which famed Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson claims would criminalize wrongthink. Trudeau-appointed Senator Kristopher Wells pressed Government Representative Marc Gold to commit to further criminalizing “hate” in a “questions period” last month.

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Report: European Union to Sanction Israel Next Week Over Gaza War

The European Union is planning to sanction Israel next week over the Gaza conflict.

The European elitists found violations of human rights obligations by Israel in Gaza.

Israel has been at war with Hamas since the terror group stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The terror group slaughtered families in their homes, targeted a rave party with hundreds of young adults, gunned down the young party-goers, and kidnapped hundreds of Jews on their way back to Gaza.

Israel retaliated with the promise to destroy Hamas in Gaza. The international community believes Israel has committed human rights violations in the process.

Now, EU officials are finalizing plans to sanction Israel this coming week.

Via Reuters.

However, deep divisions among member states suggest that only a few of the proposed measures—if any—are likely to be implemented.

According to an internal EU report on its trade agreement with Israel, seen by Euractiv last month, the bloc found “indications of violations” of human rights obligations.

In response, the European External Action Service (EEAS) is drafting a document outlining possible measures. EU ambassadors are expected to review it on July 10.

In 2024 the International Criminal Court called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza War.

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EU Digital ID Wallet Trials Near End Amid Privacy Concerns

Potential, one of the consortia selected to trial the EU’s planned Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, is preparing to conclude its work by September 2025.

The group, which came together in 2023, has played a role in laying the foundation for a system that privacy advocates warn could dramatically expand the surveillance and data collection capabilities of both governments and private companies.

The EU’s original target of launching the wallet in 2024 has already shifted, with the current deadline now pushed back to 2026.

Over the course of its mandate, Potential coordinated with 155 organizations across 19 countries, drawing in major corporations including Idemia, Thales, Amadeus, and Namirial.

Together, they developed six proposed uses for the digital wallet, covering activities such as opening a bank account, registering SIM or eSIM cards, accessing government services, using a mobile driving license, applying a Qualified eSignature, and presenting electronic prescriptions.

Each of these use cases, while framed as a convenience for citizens, raises questions about how personal data will be stored, shared, and protected in this new ecosystem.

A series of large-scale tests have already been conducted. The first remote trials began in May 2024. February 2025 saw cross-border testing in Warsaw, where 15 national wallets and 20 services exchanged data in peer-to-peer mode.

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Globalist Denmark Wants to Deploy ‘Nuclear Option’ to Remove Conservative Hungary’s Voting Rights in the European Union

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the man that the Brussels Globalist establishment ‘loves to hate’.

And the sentiment is mutual: he has been very clear in his criticism of the EU, as we have reported in Hungary’s Orbán Calls the European Union a ‘Bad Contemporary Parody’ of the Soviet Union.

Orbán is under constant pressure from Brussels for rejecting its suicidal Globalist policies, as we have written about in EPIC Hungary’s Orbán on EU ‘Blackmail’: ‘There Is Not Enough Money in the World To Force Us To Accept Mass Migration and To Put Our Children in the Hands of LGBTQ Activists’.

So, as soon as the Globalist Kingdom of Denmark took over the rotating presidency of the EU, they started rapidly moving towards deploying the bloc’s legal arsenal against Budapest over what they call ‘violations of EU’s fundamental rights’ (a.k.a. not bowing to the Globalist mandates).

The actions they intend to take include pursuing the ‘Nuclear option’: the Article 7.

Politico reports:

“’We are still seeing a violation on fundamental values’, Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre told reporters in Aarhus, where the European Commission is on a visit as Copenhagen takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. ‘That is why we will continue the Article 7 procedure and the hearing on Hungary’.”

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EU Turns Voluntary “Disinformation” Code Into Mandatory Rule Under New Censorship Law, Risking US Trade Tensions

On July 1, 2025, the European Union’s Code of Conduct on Disinformation became something else entirely. What was once pitched as a voluntary effort by tech companies to clean up their platforms is now an official requirement under the EU censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The biggest online platforms and search engines will need to meet strict transparency standards, undergo audits, and show that they can keep what Brussels calls “disinformation” in check. The message is clear enough: fall short during an audit, and expect to hear from the regulators.

Brussels couldn’t have picked a more delicate moment for this move. Trade negotiations with the United States are on a tight deadline, and the mood between the two is already tense.

This type of regulatory hardball has not gone unnoticed in Washington. American officials remember what happened when Canada tried something similar with its digital services tax.

President Donald Trump labeled the move as “obviously copying the European Union.”

Meta’s Joel Kaplan took to his podium to thank Trump for “standing up for American tech companies in the face of unprecedented attacks from other governments.” The result was that trade talks between the US and Canada hit a wall until Ottawa quietly shelved its tax plans.

Now the EU seems determined to test how far it can push its digital agenda without suffering the same fate. US politicians, mostly Republicans, have wasted no time calling out censorship disguised as risk management.

European officials are doing their best to dodge the charge.

The EU’s line is that the rules target systemic risks in algorithms and advertising rather than individual content.

Under the new system, platforms labeled as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) will face yearly audits.

These audits are supposed to assess how well companies manage the risks linked to disinformation.

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Europe’s Defense Reality Check: The Mathematics of Military Inadequacy

Following President Trump’s successful push for NATO allies to commit to spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, Europe now faces the potentially insurmountable challenge of reversing decades of military neglect. Building a force capable of defending the continent against Russia or China will be a massive undertaking, made even more difficult by declining birthrates, a shrinking workforce, and the political cost of maintaining generous welfare states and pacifist norms.

NATO allies agreed on June 25, 2025, to more than double their defense spending target from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2035, with the commitment structured as 3.5% for “core defense” and 1.5% for broader security measures including infrastructure and cyber defense. This achievement was widely praised, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stating: “Would you ever think that this would be the result of this summit if he would not have been re-elected president? … I think he deserves all the praise”. However, the magnitude of this commitment becomes clear when examining current spending levels and capability gaps.

In 2024, European NATO members spent a combined $454 billion on defense, just 30% of total NATO spending, while the United States spent $997 billion, or 66%. Reports claim European military spending rose by 17% to $693 billion in 2024, but that figure misleadingly includes Russia’s estimated $149 billion. Given that NATO exists primarily to deter Russian aggression, it is absurd to include Russia’s defense budget in Europe’s total.

Even in terms of GDP percentage, Russia continues to outpace the European Union in defense spending. The EU’s total defense spending is projected to reach around 2.04% of GDP in 2025, while Russia is expected to spend 7.5% of its GDP on the military. But the gap in spending is just one part of Europe’s broader capabilities deficit.

Unlike Russia or the United States, Europe’s $454 billion in defense expenditures is fragmented across more than 30 countries, each with its own command structure, procurement system, administrative overhead, and military bureaucracy. In contrast, the United States achieves far greater efficiency and combat power through its unified $997 billion defense budget, which supports a single military structure with global reach.

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Unspoken Inheritance: Nazi Family Ties of Europe’s Modern Elites

A scandal is brewing in the UK after it was revealed that new MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli had a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator grandfather. Apparently, SS volunteer grandpa Konstantin Dobrovolsky had such a vicious reputation for killing Jews and anti-Nazi partisans that he was dubbed “The Butcher.” But Metreweli is far from the first.

Commenting on the story, Russian Foreign Ministry spox Maria Zakharova suggested “someone” seems to be “deliberately and consciously placing descendants of Nazis in leadership positions in the countries of the ‘collective West’.”

Examples:

Friedrich Merz: Grandfather Josef Paul Sauvigny was a Nazi politician and mayor of Brilon, western Germany. Praised the Nazi “national revolution” in 1933 and renamed his town’s streets after party bigwigs. Applied for membership in the party as early as May 1933, months after Hitler seized power. Merz has described his granddad as “an admirable role model.”

Annalena Baerbock: Grandfather Waldemar Baerbock, a Wehrmacht officer superiors called a “dedicated soldier” “completely rooted in National Socialism,” was awarded the War Merit Cross with Swords in 1944. In 2004, Annalena described the EU project as the “reunification of Europe,” saying she and her colleagues were “standing on the shoulders” of “our grandparents.”

Salome Zourabichvili: Georgia’s former EU puppet president. Uncle Mikhail Kedia was a Nazi collaborator, Abwehr recruiter and Gestapo agent with friends in high places, including Richard Heydrich, principle architect of the Holocaust. Another uncle, Georges Zourabichvili, also allegedly collaborated with the Nazis before disappearing in 1944.

Donald Tusk: Grandfather Jozef Tusk was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1942, deserting in 1945. A debate continues to rage in Poland about the PM’s family’s past.

Chrystia Freeland: She’s not European, but the granddad of Canada’s chief establishment politician, Michael Chomiak, worked as a propagandist in Nazi-occupied Poland for a fascist Ukrainian newspaper.

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