Author: EP Office

Parlamentariske Aktiviteter 2019-2024: En Kvantitativ Gennemgang

Written on 22. July 2024.

I juli 2024 udgav dataanalysefirmaet Buhl & Rasmussen en rapport, der belyser de mest betydningsfulde parlamentariske aktiviteter udført af danske Europa-Parlamentsmedlemmer i perioden 2019-2024. Rapporten tilbyder et indgående perspektiv på vores arbejde i Europa-Parlamentet gennem de seneste fem år. Resumé Denne rapport foretager en dybdegående analyse af mine aktiviteter i Europa-Parlamentet, sammenlignet med både danske kolleger og de bredere partigrupper i Parlamentet. Rapporten bygger på kvantitative data om mine taler, stemmer, lovforslag, ændringsforslag og mundtlige forespørgsler,...

The future of a free and democratic Europe depends on Ukraine’s victory — now more than ever

Written on 23. April 2024.

Right now, as many of us peacefully go about our daily lives, many Ukrainians cannot afford the same luxury. Being constantly shelled by missiles and drones, they are bravely fighting the brutal Russian invasion at the EU’s borders. Putin thinks that he can kill and destroy with impunity. It is our responsibility to stop him. As an MEP and a proud supporter of Ukraine, I have been working hard to make sure Ukrainians have everything they need to win, pushing for more aid to Ukraine, meeting with Ukrainian civil society, and speaking at events dedicated to Ukraine’s cause....

Karen Melchior: Jeg bakker helt og holdent op om beslutningen om at sagsøge EU-Kommissionen

Written on 11. April 2024.

Ungarn får 7,5 mia. euro af EU-Kommissionen, selv om landet på ingen måde opfylder retsstatsprincipperne. Derfor sagsøger EU-Parlamentet nu Kommissionen for at have udbetalt pengene. Det kan jo lyde helt vanvittigt, at to demokratiske institutioner, der bor dør om dør, og som mange sikkert ikke på stående fod kan beskrive forskellene på, render rundt og sagsøger hinanden. Men ikke desto mindre har vi i Europa-Parlamentet truffet netop den beslutning. Det skete i parlamentets retsudvalg 11. marts – med overvældende flertal. Og det er en beslutning med stor betydning. Selve sagen...

Kvindernes Internationale Kampdag: Sexarbejdere er også kvinder

Written on 8. March 2024.

Berøringsangsten er monumental, når det kommer til at sikre rettigheder for prostituerede – også i EU. Det skal vi gøre bedre, skriver medlem af Europa-Parlamentet, I dag er det Kvindernes Internationale Kampdag. Og sandelig, der er meget at kæmpe for. Et af de områder, hvor kampen måske er mindre synlig – men ikke mindre vigtig – er, når det kommer til rettigheder for sexarbejdere. Sidste år i september stemte vi om EU-rapporten om regulering af prostitution. Jeg stemte imod, og det var og er der flere grunde til. Jeg var ikke alene; der er stor uenighed om at finde en europæisk...

Statement on Apple’s DMA compliance plan and their impact on Progressive Web Apps.

Written on 29. February 2024.

For years, Progressive Web Apps have been providing developers with an easy, open way of creating apps that work across platforms, and can be published and shared independently. They were at the heart of Steve Job’s vision for the iPhone, but now it looks like Apple is turning its back on them. If Apple goes ahead with this change, it would be in flagrant violation of the spirit, and likely the word of the DMA. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident: Apple’s DMA “compliance” plan is full of examples of malicious compliance that benefit neither consumers...

The impact of the DMA on businesses: Apple & Match meetings

Written on 28. February 2024.

Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act is just weeks away, with changes that will put the brakes on anticompetitive practices by big tech “gatekeepers”, and guarantee fair competition for developers and free choice for users. Unfortunately, some gatekeepers are dragging their feet. In the last two weeks, I spoke to Apple about their deeply flawed DMA compliance plans, and to Match, the makers of Tinder, about how the law will impact them. Big tech companies own many of the apps we use every day, as well as the devices and software they run on. From Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android,...

The Benefits of the Digital Markets Act

Written on 25. February 2024.

For years now, Big Tech companies have abused their power and market dominance to limit competition and force us into using their services, but it doesn’t have to be this way. On the 6th of March, a new EU law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will come into force, letting developers compete fairly, and giving citizens more choice, so what does it change for you? Why does Spotify cost more on iPhones? Why does Amazon hide cheaper options in favour of its own products? Why is it so hard to change my default browser on Windows? Why is YouTube slower on Firefox? Why do I need five...

Aid delivery to Gaza is lifesaving, and the EU must keep supporting it

Written on 22. February 2024.

As long as there are no viable alternatives to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the delivery of humanitarian aid within Gaza, EU support is critical for the 5.7 million Palestinian civilians who depend on it. However, despite UNRWA’s announcement that they lack sufficient funding to operate at the same scale after February, the European Commission has not yet ensured payment to UNRWA. No other organisation possesses such a substantial presence in Gaza as UNRWA, a point painfully reiterated by Secretary-General Guterres during...

Victory! The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs committee takes first steps towards ending unjustified geo-blocking!

Written on 24. October 2023.

PRESS RELEASE, 24 October 2023, Brussels By 11 votes to 10, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs (JURI) committee approved MEP Karen Melchior’s report on the Geo-blocking Regulation. The report, which passed despite extensive lobbying by the audio-visual sector, calls for measures to ensure linguistic minorities and cross-border communities, as well as citizens who move permanently to another member-state, can still access culture in their native language. Its proposals should form the first steps in the proposed gradual abolishment of geo-blocking of audio-visual content, which is expected...

Discussing digitalisation at DG GROW’s event on the Single Digital Gateway (19 September 2023)

Written on 29. September 2023.

I had a wonderful opportunity to talk about digitalisation of the EU administrative procedure at the DG GROW’s event “SME Relief Package: the Single Digital Gateway cuts red tape” that took place on 19 September 2023. I would like to express my gratitude to DG GROW and SMEUnited for organising this event, which is particularly salient now, especially for me as the Rapporteur on Parliament’s report on Digitalisation and Administrative Law. Now is not the easiest time for Europe’s SMEs, which is why it is key that we make understanding and complying with obligations...

The Urgency of Action: Nagorno-Karabakh and the EU’s Responsibility

Written on 29. September 2023.

Metal Helmet Of United States Army Infantry Soldier At World War II. Helmet On Camping Tent In Forest Camp.The haunting echoes of recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh serve as a stark reminder to us all of the urgency gripping the Armenian people. Lives lost, families torn apart – this is the grim reality faced by those in the midst of this conflict. In these critical times, the European Union finds itself at a crossroads, demanding decisive action grounded in our shared values. We must rise to the occasion, because the atrocities unfolding in Nagorno-Karabakh are a painful testament to the cost...

Speaking at Blockchain for Europe Summit (27 September 2023)

Written on 29. September 2023.

I was honoured to speak at this year’s Blockchain for Europe Summit on the future of digital policy and priorities for the next EU Commission. Here is what I said: This mandate has been one of the busiest ever for Europe’s tech policy, and I think it marks a significant change for the EU. We’ve seen a flurry of regulation, including new laws on data storage and use, competition in the digital sphere, online platforms, digital identity, and artificial intelligence, to name a few. Throughout this mandate, we have seen lawmakers gain a better understanding of the impact of digital...

Fra Arabisk Forår til Efterårskup

Written on 12. September 2023.

Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Kas Saed, and Giorgia Meloni, from left to right

Strasbourg 11. september 2023 Vi har brug for langsigtede investeringer i demokrati, retsstat og menneskerettigheder, hvis vi ønsker at sikre freden på Europas dørtrin til resten af verden. Ellers er der overhængende fare for, at vi bliver gidsler for uberegnelige despoter i slyngelstater, der udelukkende ønsker at gøre op med vores værdier og måder at leve på. Man kan udfordre de herskende diktatorer og deres sortsyn. Tænk tilbage på vinteren 2010/2011: Dengang lykkedes det den tunesiske befolkning at samle sig i frustrationerne over diktatoren Ben Ali. Han blev fjernet fra magten –...

Our voice should be matter: Multimodal digital mobility services

Written on 28. June 2023.

On behalf of the Renew Europe Group and the Greens, we have written a letter to President Ursula von der Leyen, the Vice-Presidents and the Commissioner. We raised the issue of the legislative proposal on digital mobility services, which was originally intended to be adopted in the 2022 work programme to boost digital solutions and support integrated and sustainable mobility. The letter is also particularly important because EU citizens have the right to uniform and easy access to mobility tools, which can only be achieved through the liberalisation of ticketing systems. The proposed measure...

AI Act: The European Parliament votes for safer AI and an end to Mass Surveillance

Written on 16. June 2023.

This week, the European Parliament adopted its position on the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI act). As Renew’s lead negotiator on the AI act in the JURI committee, I fought hard to protect citizens’ fundamental rights, and give businesses space and certainty to innovate. I’m very glad to announce that many of the things I fought for have made it into Parliament’s final position. Let’s take a look at what we achieved! The JURI Opinion The Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), where I was lead negotiator, finished its position on the Artificial Intelligence Act in September of last year. Since then...

What is the place for Geo-blocking in a Digital Age of Free Movement ?

Written on 12. June 2023.

“Sorry, but this content is not available in your country!” This is a situation, all too many of us are familiar with! When we were trying to access something that we were very interested in, but the site said no. In 2018 we ended geo-blocking – just not for audiovisual content Previous EU decisions have ended location-based restrictions in many other sectors, but in 2018 one important sector was excluded from the scope of the regulation: audiovisual content. In recent years, especially during the years affected by the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in interest...

FEMM Committee Chat Control Amendment Discussion (24 May 2023)

Written on 24. May 2023.

Good Morning, Following the revelations in Wired yesterday showing that a majority of our member states wish to break encryption and some not only to prevent and prosecute Child Sexual Abuse material. We must remember that once encryption is broken, it is broken for all. We must remember once we give up our rights to privacy it’s gone for all of us. I’m glad to be here in the FEMM committee this morning, and welcome this opportunity for this discussion on the CSAM regulation. Thank you to the Rapporteur and shadows for their diligent work There are lots of issues with the Commission’s proposal,...

CSAM – Scanning of end-to-end encrypted conversations and for unknown content and grooming is particularly problematic

Written on 23. May 2023.

First and foremost, it is essential to understand that the proposal for a regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (CSAM / Chat Control) from the Commission, rather than aiding our fight against abuse, may inadvertently make it more challenging. Specifically, the scanning of end-to-end encrypted conversations and the pursuit of unknown content and grooming will prove ineffective in catching abusers. The Commission is acting like they can wave a magic “digital” wand and solve child abuse, but their proposal actually risks making it harder to catch abusers while...

You spoke, and we heard you: protecting open-source developers in the CRA and PLD

Written on 26. April 2023.

The Product Liability Directive and Cyber Resilience Act are two important EU laws that will impact how software is developed, but many in the open source community are worried about how these laws will affect them, and so am I; which is why I have proposed changes to protect the open source community and guarantee fair rules on liability and cybersecurity. Two weeks ago, the Python Software Foundation published an article expressing concern about issues they had found in two upcoming EU laws: the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and the Product Liability Directive (PLD). Since the publication...

The European Digital Identity: Parliament’s final position

Written on 23. February 2023.

The European Digital Identity is a proposal that will allow EU citizens, residents and businesses to identify themselves, access digital services and digitally sign documents through a Digital ID and store and share “attributes” such as personal information, diplomas and licenses safely and easily using a Digital Wallet. It will provide inter-operability across the union; with signatures and attributes recognised in all member states, making it easier to work, study and travel around the Union. In 2022, I led negotiations on this law in the JURI Committee, with negotiations concluding in October...