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The LUX Audience Award: Bringing the European Parliament closer to people
The LUX Audience Award is the largest audience film award in the European Union, presented by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in collaboration with Creative Europe MEDIA and Europa Cinemas. Each year, five films are nominated for the award, all tackling important social and political issues within the EU, while showcasing some of Europe's most exciting filmmakers. Beyond being a film prize, the award strengthens European film distribution, promotes gender equality, and fosters ...
EU and UK approaches to AI: Latest developments
The EU and the United Kingdom (UK) have both been active in shaping the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. They have each introduced measures to ensure that people and businesses can take advantage of the benefits of AI, while minimising its risks. However, there are also a number of differences in their approaches. The EU has adopted a comprehensive risk-based regulatory framework, whereas the UK has a more light-touch regulatory approach. So far, the UK has not adopted ...
Children and generative AI
Children are intensive users of digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI – AI that can create new content such as text, images, videos and music – is becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it difficult to distinguish user-generated content from AI-generated (synthetic) content. If not supervised properly, these tools might carry risks for children, whose cognitive capacities are still developing. The need to strengthen generative AI literacy for children, educators and ...
Fact-checking and content moderation
Fact-checking of content on online platforms has so far played an important role in protecting democracy, by verifying statements and making sure trustworthy sources are used. Many social media platforms use fact-checkers to help them enforce content moderation policies, with the aim of protecting their users from harm. The EU's Digital Services Act – a binding legal instrument – strengthens content moderation obligations for online platforms, while the voluntary EU Code of Practice on Disinformation ...
Strategic dependencies: Threats to EU sovereignty in communication infrastructure
Rising geopolitical tensions and dependencies on digital infrastructure belonging to foreign providers are triggering concerns that the European Union's technological sovereignty might be under threat. Connectivity infrastructure such as submarine cables, mobile technologies and satellites underpin the digital services used by EU citizens, businesses and governments. Being dependent on foreign providers of such infrastructure calls for a strategic approach to balancing technological efficiency with ...
Problems presented by third-country e-commerce
Online commerce is a defining feature of the modern world. It opens up opportunities for consumers and businesses alike. For consumers, it can mean a wider choice of goods and services at cheaper prices. For business, it offers new ways to reach larger markets. The borderless nature of online commerce means that, today, such opportunities within the EU are also open to businesses from elsewhere, and this phenomenon has been on the rise in recent years. Many consumers are familiar now with the advantages ...
Cross-border exchange of information on road safety-related traffic offences
Road safety has improved significantly in the EU, with the number of road fatalities falling by more than 60 % in the last 20 years. However, improvements in road safety fell short of the EU goals of decreasing the number of road deaths by 50 % between 2001 and 2010, and by an additional 50 % between 2011 and 2020. Directive (EU) 2015/413 facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road safety-related traffic offences – the Cross-border Enforcement (CBE) Directive – is one of the pillars ...
Understanding EU data protection policy
The 'datafication' of everyday life and data scandals have made the protection of personal information an increasingly important social, legal and political matter for the EU. In recent years, awareness of data rights has grown considerably. The right to privacy and the right to protection of personal data are both enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and in the EU Treaties. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 gave the Charter the same legal value as the Treaties ...
Newly proposed GDPR procedural rules: Improving efficiency and consistency
Ever since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became applicable in May 2018, the European Parliament and civil society organisations have been flagging up deficits in its enforcement, and pushing for better implementation. To address the situation, in July 2023 the European Commission tabled a proposal aimed at improving GDPR enforcement. The proposal seeks to support the smooth functioning and timely completion of enforcement procedures in cross-border cases. To this end, the Commission ...
Mis- and disinformation on social media and related risks to election integrity
Under the EU's landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), large social media platforms have pledged to take greater responsibility for curbing harmful and deceptive content. Despite this, information manipulation campaigns continue to unfold. On 6 December, Romania became the first EU country to cancel an election over foreign interference, following reports about information manipulation on TikTok. During the December 2024 plenary session, the Commission is due to make a statement on mis- and disinformation ...