Eurotopics.net

The EU has rejected the current draft of the final text of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai after a pledge to phase out coal, oil and gas was cut. Instead, the 21-page document merely calls for reductions in the consumption and production of fossil fuels. Environmental organisations and countries especially threatened by the climate crisis have expressed dismay. Europe's press also lambastes the text.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris under certain conditions. Individual athletes are to be allowed to compete with "neutral" status and without anthems or flags. In addition, they must not be members of the military or have been known to support the War in Ukraine. Criticism abounds in the commentaries.

Swiss media group Ringier has sacked several senior journalists at the Romanian daily Libertatea. The newspaper has uncovered numerous corruption scandals in recent years and is the most widely read in the country. Ringier justified the decision pointing to a decline in revenues. Commentators voice concern about press freedom and bemoan the predominance of profit-driven interests.

Negotiators from the EU Parliament and member states have agreed on the key points of the AI Act which has been in preparation since 2021. The law aims to guarantee transparency on the use of artificial intelligence, ensure high quality of the data used in development and protect copyrights. In the areas of data protection and security-relevant applications, human-controlled risk management will become mandatory.

Just weeks after his inauguration as Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico has announced plans to abolish the Special Prosecutor's Office that deals with corruption and serious crime, as promised during his campaign. The office's head, special prosecutor Daniel Lipšic, was the lawyer who represented the parents of murdered journalist Ján Kuciak in 2018. Fico's move has prompted a warning from Brussels and demonstrations across the country.