Can we maybe now all agree that our total dependence on the US is a greater threat than the notion of a federal European Union? While national leaders were spreading scare stories about an all-powerful Europe, we are now at the mercy of a deranged guy with his finger on the nuclear button

Fresh evidence linking the Greek government to #PredatorGate. Today's @tovimagr.bsky.social revelations confirm the long held suspicion that Predator was to be paid from EU funds. Will @ec.europa.eu demand clarifications? (spoiler: it won't). A clear case for the EU Public Prosecutor #EPPO

Guter Schritt, aber nicht genug. Im Lissabon-Vertrag wurden fast alle Vetos schon abgeschafft. Doch in Bereichen, in denen formal die Mehrheitsentscheidung gilt, schleichen sie sich wieder ein, da sich der #EUCO zunehmend in ordentliche Gesetzgebung einmischt. Europa braucht tiefgreifende Reformen

Abolishing vetoes in foreign&security policies is a good step, but not enough. The Lisbon Treaty abolished nearly all vetoes, but unanimity crept back into several policy areas where officially majority voting applies, as #EUCO is interfering in legislative files. Fundamental EU reform is needed

X door Brusselse rechtbank veroordeeld voor verspreiding verkrachtingsvideo. X toont geen enkel inzicht of berouw. De opgelegde boete van 24.000 euro is ongeveer de omzet van 30 seconden voor X. Dat is een aanfluiting. Tijd voor keiharde handhaving.

Well, well…nerves twitching at Palantir HQ. After so many years of operating in obscurity, the spotlights and critical questions are uncomfortable. But salutary for democracy.

Na vier jaar als gedoogconstructie gaat Zweeds extreem-rechts naar verwachting de regering in. De zoveelste bres in de @eppgroup.bsky.social Brandmauer. En wat vindt @aldeparty.bsky.social ervan dat de Zweedse Liberalen het pad van zusterpartij VVD volgen? www.demorgen.be/nieuws/zweed...

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Investeerders en overheden beginnen zich af te keren van het omstreden bedrijf #Palantir. Ook Argenta trok zich onlangs terug, New York zegde een contract met Palantir in de ziekenhuissector op, Zwitserland wees samenwerking met Palantir af. Kleine stapjes, maar met een mogelijk sneeuwbaleffect

Europa is een hot topic. Leestips voor wie eens kennis wil maken met een andere kant van onze gezamenlijke Europese geschiedenis: “Begrijp jij Centraal-Europa nog” van @hansluiten.bsky.social. “Free” en “Indignity” van @leaypi.bsky.social. Of het fascinerende persoonlijke relaas van Maria Czapska

Sancties, en het opschorten van alle politie- en veiligheidssamenwerking, èn een boycot van de bedrijven die de middelen leveren - zoals spyware - die worden ingezet tegen de Palestijnen. Waarom doet de Nederlandse overheid zaken met zulke bedrijven?

Leaked phone calls showing how the Hungarian government is taking instructions from Russia. Kudos to the courageous journalists who brought this to light. It also shows the total inability of #EUCO to clean up its own house. 1/2

Unanimity turns the EU into a playground for foreign powers:

Preventive policing is the slipperiest of slippery slopes. It will make us less safe, not more. An incomprehensible and alarming move.

Nice clip: why Europe matters. Most citizens will agree. But it is not enough to conclude that Europe matters. If we want Europe to deliver, we cannot avoid the debate about reforms any longer. The current governance of the European Union is wholly unsuitable for the world of today.

The interpretation given by the @ec.europa.eu to the EU Transparency rules effectively hands a veto to the US. They routinely invoke the claim that disclosure may harm international relations. But Trump's tantrums should not be used as a justification for refusing access to an EU document.

The new EU deportation law - which got a standing ovation from the far-right - is not "strict", it is inhumane. ICE is not "strict", it is inhumane. This law is mere posturing, it will do nothing to boost returns. It will just remove from sight the miserable conditions that we will put people in

The MAGAfication of the @eppgroup.bsky.social in broad daylight (and some invertebrate white dots in other groups)

The 🇬🇷 government party seems to try and buy Tal Dilian's silence on it's role in #PredatorGate with an amendment to the penal code allowing Dilian to escape prison time. The ND fingerprints are all over the spyware scandal, but Dilian could provide the missing bits of evidence.

The Irish Data Protection Authority effectively is the gatekeeper for the EU as a whole. So the questions of @johnnyryan.bsky.social 👇 about the recruitment of the new Irish DPA, raising concerns about independence, integrity and revolving doors, are highly relevant for the entire EU.

Als de regering-De Wever nog een gram geloofwaardigheid wil behouden, dan blokkeert ze de benoeming van Axel Miller www.demorgen.be/meningen/als...

If #Intellexa boss Tal Dilian is willing to testify about the abuse of, and illicit exports of spyware, many capitals in Europe and the Berlaymont have reasons to be very, VERY worried.

New Tal Dilian statement on #PredatorGate points even more clearly to the 🇬🇷authorities: “I believe it is a crime for private individuals to interfere communications. But it is even more serious crime to organize a conspiracy crime to send innocent people to jail to cover up political authorities.“

💥 amazing development in the Greek #PredatorGate case: Tal Dilian, founder of spyware company #Intellexa breaks the silence and makes a statement implicating the government, secret service EYP, and the nephew/former right hand of PM Mitsotakis. Read the full story 👉 @insidestory.gr

“Minister belooft asielkinderen alleen bij hoge uitzondering in detentie te plaatsen”. Hoezo “belooft”? Dat staat gewoon in de nieuwe Europese wet (Opvangrichtlijn). www.volkskrant.nl/politiek/min...

Today the court case starts on the 2023 train crash in #Τέμπη that killed nearly sixty, mostly young people. Several persons are on trial, but none of the responsible politicians. They are shielded from prosecution by the government party.

So far today seems to be a good election day for centrist, democratic forces in Europe. Maybe it is time we regain self-confidence and realise we can win elections and beat the extremists.

Good news from Poland! The Supreme Court has confirmed the country’s legal obligation to recognise same-sex marriages concluded abroad 🏳️‍🌈🇵🇱 www.ilga-europe.org/news/poland-...

Massive power grab by #EUCO, @ec.europa.eu independence in tatters, @europarl.europa.eu sidelined, European top courts increasingly ignored: the question of the functioning of the EU democratic framework is more topical than ever. But this request to the Venice Commission seems to be shelved. Hot 🥔?

Korte, verhelderende video van @tijd.be over de nieuwe vestiging in België van het schimmige bedrijf #Palantir. www.tijd.be/video/1039.h...

Ukrainians paying the price for a totally dysfunctional #EUCO and the refusal of national leaders to reform EU governance.

A fresh court case on #PredatorGate may yield new evidence for the involvement of the governing party and thwart their cover up efforts. Targeting political adversaries or critics with spyware is a direct attack on democracy. The full truth about the political abuse of spyware in Europe must emerge

Bijzondere timing voor een staatsbezoek aan de VS met overnachting in het Witte Huis 😒

Aside the fact that suspending ETS is a stupid policy, this case illustrates how #EUCO is systematically overstepping its powers by interfering in legislative matters. Why is Europe endlessly discussing how Trump ignores the US Constitution, but we shrug when our own EU Treaties are trampled on?

If you save, invest, or pay into a pension in Europe, your money may be funding Palantir. The controversial US tech giant provides software for ICE migrant crackdowns and collaborates with the Israeli military. Despite this, major European financial firms have sharply increased their investments.

Nieuws: ondanks aanhoudende beschuldigingen van betrokkenheid bij mensenrechtenschendingen in de VS En Palestina en beloften van “verantwoord” beleggen, investeren Europese grootinvesteerders tientallen miljarden in het omstreden techbedrijf Palantir. www.ftm.nl/artikelen/eu...

An #Orbexit will not save the EU. Orban is the symptom, not the problem. The system is broken. Political leaders close their eyes and hope for the best on April 12th, but do they have a Plan B for the scenario of a fifth term of The Viktator? 1/2

Scherpe, onafhankelijke onderzoeksjournalistiek is cruciaal om onze democratie te beschermen. Kleine media doen onmisbaar werk, maar moeten worstelen om te overleven. De weigering van @de-nva.bsky.social Minister Jambon is alarmerend en wekt sterk de schijn dat hij het kritische @apache.be viseert.

The EU Commission has granted the US near unlimited access to personal data of Europeans, even in flagrant violation of EU law. Will it now wake up to the danger of unbridled data access + Trump's explicit aim of "regime change" in Europe? (just google "Cambridge Analytica" to get a flavor of it)

Ipv een compromis met de middenpartijen verkoos @eppgroup.bsky.social een akkoord met de extreem-rechtse fracties over deportatie van asielzoekers. De “brandmuur” naar extreem-rechts is dus gevallen. Het CDA zit ook in deze fractie. Hoe staan zij er in?

“De vraag is wel: hoelang kan een klein land werkeloos toekijken terwijl die grootmacht alles dat voor dat kleine land van belang is – vrijheid, orde, recht, handel, vrede – op het spel zet?”. @tomjanmeeus.bsky.social hekelt magistraal hoe de TK de grote, dringende vragen van deze tijd schuwt 👇

De N-VA wil #ETS2 uitstellen omdat energie duur is. Dat klinkt redelijk, maar het is de verkeerde knop. De grootste scheeftrekking zit niet in Europa, maar in onze eigen energiefactuur. Vandaag in @demorgen.be : www.demorgen.be/meningen/wie...

Rutte still happy with Daddy’s great leadership?

Tegelijkertijd wil de Europese partijgenote van De Wever, Premier Meloni de energieprijzen als voorwendsel gebruiken om het klimaatbeleid te ontmantelen. davekeating.substack.com/p/meloni-is-...

Stuitend. De Wever propageert nu feitelijk de overgave van Oekraïne aan Rusland, in ruil voor goedkope energie. Het alternatief is nu eens ècht werk maken van de energietransitie, en onze verslaving aan gas en olie afbouwen.

Palantir CEO Karp thinks his AI tech will lessen the power of “highly educated, often female voters, who vote mostly Democrat” while increasing the power of working-class men. Meanwhile @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @eppgroup.bsky.social diligently working to dismantle AI regulation. 🤦‍♀️

As long as the EU doesn’t speak with a single voice, debate about foreign affairs remains a largely academic exercise, merely commenting Trump’s actions. Europe needs a strategy of its own, and a European government with the power to act. My interview with @France24 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9F-...

#Pot #Kettle case, as #EUCO shows utter contempt for the institutional balance laid down in the Treaties, as it is systematically overstepping its powers and violating the powers of Commission and Parliament. This quiet dismantling of the constitutional framework of the EU is deeply alarming

Fans van Fossiel krijgen een forse reality check. De transitie naar hernieuwbare energie werd weggewimpeld als niet "haalbaar en betaalbaar". Waarschuwingen over energie-afhankelijkheid in de wind geslagen. Maatregelen terugdraaien om de auto-industrie te paaien. Kortzichtigheid wordt duur betaald.

If national leaders object to a role for the Commission President in foreign affairs, maybe they should acknowledge she is just stepping into the vacuum left by their failure to agree on anything?