Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
German defence minister Boris Pistorius suggested this week’s repeated drone sightings over Belgium were “likely connected with the fight over the use of Russian frozen assets held by Belgium,” as he warned about Russian attempts to “sow doubt, divide us and influence elections” (12:23).
Separately, Belgian ministers were reportedly closing on a deal on the proposed €50m package of measures to strengthen the country’s anti-drone systems (14:27).
These developments come after further drone sightings over Belgium last night, disrupting the operations of Brussels and Liège airports (10:08, 13:42).
In other news,
The centrist D66 party has been formally confirmed as the winner of last week’s parliamentary election in the Netherlands, setting its 38-year-old leader, Rob Jetten, on course to become the country’s youngest-ever prime minister (11:32).
The European Commission has adopted stricter rules for issuing visas to Russian nationals to enter the European Union in response to what it said were “increased security risks stemming from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine” (12:04).
The European Commission is considering plans to delay parts of the EU’s landmark Artificial Intelligence Act, after intense pressure from businesses and Donald Trump’s administration (15:29).
Denmark has moved towards banning social media access to children under 15 in what it said was “a groundbreaking step” towards improving online safety (16:09).
And later today Viktor Orbán will visit the White House on Friday as Hungary’s far-right prime minister tries to broker another summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that his advisers claim could help end the war between Russia and Ukraine (10:39, 11:03).
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And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Denmark moves ahead with plans to ban social media for children under 15
Meanwhile, Denmark has moved towards banning social media access to children under 15 in what it said was “a groundbreaking step” towards improving online safety.
The government said that “the pressure from the tech giants’s business model is too significant, and the responsibility [for keeping children safe] must be therefore shouldered jointly” by parents and the state.
The proposed measure provides a way for parents to agree to their child using social media earlier, from 13-year-old.
Minister Caroline Stage Olsen said the move was “a necessary stand against a situation where large tech platforms have had free rein in children’s rooms for far too long.”
“The goal of the agreement is that 15 years of age becomes the norm in Denmark, so that children have more time for peace, play and development before they have profiles on social media, which are characterised by a number of risks,” the government said.
The political agreement, announced today, also includes a push to strengthen the national regulator responsible for the implementation of the EU’s Digital Services Act.
