The Commission is set to finally unveil the Democracy Shield 🛡️on 12 November! Here is what it will look like and what details will matter. 🧵

The Heritage Foundation, the intellectual engine behind the 922-page blueprint that has become the key policy manual for Donald Trump’s second term, is partnering with a constellation of European nationalist far-right movements to export its playbook.

The prospect that the Brexit-pushing, Farage-promoting, Israeli-government-favouring BBC may now turn even more to the hard right is chilling. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“The Omnibus fails to meet the constitutional standards the EU’s own legal order demands”. That’s the conclusion reached by legal opinion endorsed by 100+ academics warning the Parliament about this dangerous precedent. Read the opinion 👇 #Omnibus #CSRD #CSDDD papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

🇪🇺 #Alcohol profits before #PublicHealth and #Democracy? How the new “EU Wine Package” reveals a troubling imbalance between public interest and private influence. No public health assessment and the European Parliament and health civil society are being bypassed. euobserver.com/eu-political...

I did a quick edit, this is more accurate: #deregulation #frontalattack on #fundamentalrights

The EU AI Act was supposed to be the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation, but it’s being systematically weakened by corporate lobbying at every stage - from initial negotiations to implementation.

Beyond concerning, The European Commission is reportedly considering delaying parts of its landmark AI Act following heavy lobbying from U.S. tech giants and pressure from Washington. Thread Please read! substack.com/@europeanpow...

Wikidata has been recognized as a digital public good by the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) 🎉 Learn how Wikidata, which houses over 1.6 billion facts, advances education, innovation, and public institutions ➡️ wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/10...

Amid misinformation, Wikipedia's volunteer community stands out. Editors uphold neutrality, verify sources, and log every edit.  Without corporate ads, its scale and transparent governance make it a beacon of trust. Learn more ➡️ w.wiki/7zfT

Strategic autonomy for ya EU weighs pausing parts of landmark AI act in face of US and Big Tech pressure on.ft.com/4r4SAfR

Is democracy losing to demands from US big tech? The European Commission is moving. “A number of companies, including Facebook & Instagram owner Meta, have warned that the EU’s approach to regulating AI risks cutting the continent off from accessing cutting-edge services” www.ft.com/content/af6c...

A second look at the leaked draft of the @ec.europa.eu’s AI omnibus: Fundamental rights authorities are set to have their powers clarified down. Read my article at @euractiv.com: www.euractiv.com/news/commiss...

Trump and his billionaire buddies protect tax secrecy so corporations can continue to make big bucks, all whilst claiming there is no money for health, education or pay rises for workers. Daniel Bertossa, @psiglobalunion.bsky.social #UNtaxConvention #TaxJustice2025 bit.ly/taxjustice25

If guaranteeing essentials sounds radical in 2025, it speaks to how far we’ve drifted from democracy’s core promise. Markets will not save democracy. My new piece for @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

EU-based companies continue to export thousands of tonnes of banned pesticides to Kenya and other countries, even though the food it helps produce is often then exported back to the EU, new research has confirmed.

💥Russian Orthodox priest Hilarion (Grigory Alfeyev) – now heading the Czech branch, formerly Hungary’s – seen at the FSB HQ shooting range on Moscow’s Lubyanka Square, in the basement once used by the KGB for torture & executions. 📹 @vsquare.bsky.social @denikn.cz | More: vsquare.org/goulash-puti...

"For someone like him, unregulated generative AI is the perfect tool to capture people's attention and distort reality."

Vorig jaar namen de EU lidstaten gezamenlijk 113 fossiele lobbyisten mee naar COP29. Daar wordt het veel te heet van. 🌍 🔥 De geloofwaardigheid van de EU staat onder druk, het moet echt beter! Met meer dan 100 organisaties zeiden wij tegen Hoekstra: neem geen fossiele lobbyisten mee naar COP30. 🇧🇷

On Monday 10Nov at 13:30CET @jakubpat.bsky.social, journalist and editor-in-chief of @denikreferendum.cz will join @voxeurop.bsky.social to discuss (in Eng) the political situation in Czechia, which, at least on paper, is soon going to have the worst government in the EU. Join them to find out more!

🔴 A Climate Law for Polluters, Confirmed. Europe’s new 2040 #ClimateTarget locks in loopholes, not real climate action. Offsets, carbon removals, and review clauses won’t phase out fossil fuels — they just buy time for polluters. Read our statement 👇 www.realzeroeurope.org/resources/pr...

this is actually impressive, making up a brand new nobel peace prize replacement is a genuine innovation in bribery absolutely nobody does corruption like FIFA

Gates' subtle anti-renewables messaging, possibly related to his investments in small modular nuclear reactors, was well known, but this is next level: financially supporting a guy whose core business it is to argue for less climate action.

“Regeringen met autoritaire neigingen zijn slim. Ze bezitten en controleren media waarmee ze de samenleving becommentariëren en mensen zwartmaken, en ze gebruiken de tactiek van de kikker in de kokende pan. Je neemt mensen langzaam hun rechten af, zodat ze het niet merken.”

⚠️ Efforts to delegitimise, defund or restrict civil society are no longer isolated. They are appearing across Europe – including here in Brussels. Without an independent civil society, corporate lobbies will fill the void. Important protections will be rolled back in the name of “efficiency.”

🫣 Imagine waking up in a Europe where you can’t trust the water from your tap, the air you breathe, or the food on your plate. Where no one checks if rules are enforced and disinformation goes unchallenged. That’s not dystopia - it’s the logical outcome of a trend already visible across Europe.

"This case of location data should serve as a reminder as to why we regulated Big Tech in the first place. Rather than pursuing deregulation, the EU needs to ramp up its efforts to reign in tech which erodes the privacy and civil liberties of EU citizens" www.rte.ie/news/primeti...

Very sorry to read that Eurocare will be closing its Brussels office. The EU alcohol industry is a lobbying juggernaut which has maintained its unjustified special treatment for decades. With no dedicated EU public health org working on alcohol, fixing this imbalance is now even more difficult :(

Powerful appeal by leading figures at @eeb.org to stop the stigmatisation of public-spirited #NGOs in the EU--when the real problem is vastly more pervasive corporate lobbying for private ends: euobserver.com/EU%20Politic... #civilsociety

You have got to actually be f*cking kidding me

“Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg" by Rei Takver for @desmog.com: www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...

Breed middenveld waarschuwt voor politieke inmenging in subsidiedossiers. ‘Wat hier op het spel staat, raakt de kern van onze democratie’ www.mo.be/opinie/wat-h...

What happens after Europe's NGOs are dismantled?

🔥 What happens after Europe’s NGOs are dismantled? Last week, @alemanno.bsky.social mapped how civic space in Europe is being suffocated – how NGOs die. This week, we asked the next question: what happens when they do? 🧵👇 euobserver.com/eu-political...

“President Trump’s instinct when he loses is to sulk, and to lash out. He will almost certainly now retaliate against New York City – but doing this comes with enormous political risk.” inews.co.uk/opinion/city...

🚨 DOCU SCREENING ALERT! The EU's "green" hydrogen dream is a nightmare for communities in the Global South. CEO’s powerful new docu reveals the truth. 🎬 Watch the trailer and catch the premiere of the Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa! 🧵 👇

A live discussion with @jakubpat.bsky.social / @denikreferendum.cz - Monday 10 November 2025 - 13:30 CET via @voxeurop.bsky.social #PulseEurope voxeurop.eu/en/event/and...

1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣➕ organisations wrote to EU Climate Commissioner @wopkehoekstra.ec.europa.eu before he takes off 🛫 for #COP30 in Belém 🇧🇷 We demand he: 🚫 Not bring any 🛢️ fossil fuel lobbyists to COP ✅ Supports tackling conflicts of interest at the UN and in the EU 🇪🇺 ✉️: fossilfreepolitics.org/news/cop30-l...

🚨 Big win for workers in 🇦🇺! Unions won an ethical conduct clause blocking companies guilty of union-busting from public contracts. A model for the world! #MakeAmazonPay

‪This morning, EU environment ministers meet to agree a way forward for the Climate Law🌍 ...but leaked drafts show plans to weaken the 2040 target of slashing emissions by 90% if it is hurting industry "competitiveness" 🏭 Read more on 🔍 Deregulation Watch 🔎 corporateeurope.org/en/deregulation-watch

While the @consilium.europa.eu’s deriliction of duties continues, Orban has further strengthened his control of country’s media ecosystem ahead of next elections. Reminder: Orban’s Hungary now an electoral autocracy whose last free and fair elections took place in 2010…

Zohran Mamdani will be the 111th mayor of New York City. He represents everyday people who struggle to pay rent and bills, let alone save or get ahead. Yes, you can build affordable cities. Vienna did it a hundred years ago, and there is no reason we cannot do it again today. 1/4

A letter signed by more than 100 organisations was sent to Hoekstra, asking not to bring fossil fuel lobbyists to COP30 🇧🇷 👍 Promisingly, there were no lobbyists in the official EU delegation last year 👎EU Member States still brought 113 lobbyists ✉️: fossilfreepolitics.org/news/cop30-l... #COP30

Google is days away from adopting 'be evil' as a ethical principle

Carine Thibaut (directeur Amnesty International Belgique Francophone) neemt het namens de coalitie Recht op Protest* op voor de vrijheid van vereniging. ‘De internationale context is alarmerend: steeds meer landen verbieden of beperken verenigingen en vakbonden onder het mom van veiligheid.’

⚠️ Het voorstel om de regering de macht te geven organisaties te verbieden zonder rechterlijke tussenkomst bedreigt het recht op vrijheid van vereniging. De uitvoerende macht mag geen vrij spel krijgen om kritiek te smoren.

How Google won friends and influenced people - while slowly gobbling up a quarter of all ad revenue on the internet. Here's my look at two decades of Google’s ruthless tactics to secure its dominance. www.ftm.eu/articles/goo...

More detail in op ed! It's urgent that citizens concerned about health & well-being take action to support a comprehensive 🇪🇺 #PFAS ban. And it is imperative that politicians listen to them. action.wemove.eu/sign/2024-01...

Despite January revelations of #ForeverLobbying Project @lemonde.fr about devastating impacts of forever chemicals #PFAS, & corporate influence campaign that keeps these harmful substances in our food, water, soil, & bodies, little has changed Read our op ed (in 🇫🇷) ⬇️ www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...

Revealing story by @alexfanta.bsky.social in @ftm.nl. "Over the past decade, Google lobbyists met with the Commission at least 420 times, and spent well over 60 million euros on lobbying" And with an open end, given Trump's tariff threats against enforcement. www.ftm.eu/articles/goo...