Author: Karen Melchior

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...

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...

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...

Ukraine Media Guildhall interview – Ways to improve EU’s military aid to Ukraine and EU sanctions

Written on 4. November 2023.

Visiting Ukraine, Karen Melchior speaking with Kharkiv mayor in a white room sitting at a table next to Petras

Since the full-scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine, the Ukrainian media Guildhall has been interviewing European politicians about their views and on where the European legislators are heading in support of Ukraine. Guildhall has previously interviewed me in writing, but yesterday was my first video interview to provide my recommendations for improvement of the EU’s military aid to Ukraine strategy and EU sanctions policy. I will add the link when it’s public. Key messages from me are:The EU and the EU member states must quickly mobilise further military support for Ukraine...

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, BrusselsBy 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...

En frygtelig uge i Israel og Gaza

Written on 14. October 2023.

Hamas angreb, bortførte og dræbte civile. En terrororganisation angreb Israel. Angreb uskyldige mennesker på en musikfestival, familier i deres hjem. Hamas begår terror for at skabe så meget lidelse blandt sit eget folk, at befolkningen vil tage terroristens parti på ubestemt tid. Hamas hat udnyttet dette i årevis og følger en plan, der forudser en israelsk reaktion. Vi skal ikke belønne dem. Israel forsvarer sit land og er ved at finde bagmænd bag angrebene og de tilbageholdte gidsler. Uanset smerte eller vrede, skal Israel beskytte de civile i Gaza, hvor 1 million er børn under 14 år....

European Parliament on Hamas attacks on Israel – for Renew Europe Group 10 oct 23

Written on 10. October 2023.

My speaking points for discussion in the Renew Europe Group meeting on the 10th of October 2023 We must condemn in the strongest terms the horrible terrorist attacks by Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians over the weekend. It should be acknowledged, and we must recognise the emotional weight of recent and past events and their impact on both sides. Not just now, this weekend, but from the past decades. The unresolved conflict between Israel, Palestine and the other Arab countries is one of the most highly emotive political issues in international relations. We must acknowledge the...

Nagorno-Karabakh og EU – Det er tid til handling nu!

Written on 30. September 2023.

Armenian refugees wait out side of a yellow bus with green lettering on a lawn with their suitcases and other belongings around them

Et område i det sydlige Kaukasus, Nagorno-Karabakh, er et territorium med historisk betydning og en overvejende etnisk armensk befolkning. Desværre er dette område for atter gang et midtpunkt for en vedvarende konflikt. På tragisk vis blev det ulovligt overtaget af Aserbajdsjan, og som har ført til fordrivelser og lidelser for befolkningen i området. Denne humanitære krise kan EU ikke tillade sig at være en passiv tilskuer på længere. Det armenske folk lider og det er på tide at EU omsætter ord til handling. Hvert liv der går tabt og hver familie der bliver revet fra hinanden kræver vores...

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...

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...

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...

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 2023Vi 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...

EU Commission sells out for migration deal with Tunisia’s president Kaïs Saied

Written on 18. August 2023.

On 16 June, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, agreed with the President of Tunisia, Kaïs Saied, to implement the comprehensive partnership package announced jointly on 11 June 2023. This came in the context of grave violations of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, as well as an escalation of restrictions on civil and political rights.The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) fails to address core human rights concerns observed in Tunisia, which include grave violations...

Kan EU-Kommissionen lukke sociale medier med Digital Services Act i hånden?

Written on 4. August 2023.

TL;DR Nej Der er skrevet en del blogindlæg på internettet og kommentarer på sociale medier om, at DSA (Digital Services Act) skulle være en “censurlov” der giver Kommissionen beføjelser til at forlange misinformation fjernet (herunder bestemme hvad der er sandt og falsk, som et Ministry of Truth). Hvis man læser DSA er det svært at finde de påståede beføjelser. Nok kan der i DSA gives store bøder for manglende overholdelse af DSA, men intetsteds i DSA står der, at platforme har pligt til at fjerne falsk information. Det samme gælder skadeligt indhold, hvordan man så end...

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...

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...

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...

Dereliction of Duty: how the Women’s Rights Committee failed Women in the Discussions on the ChatControl (CSAM) Regulation

Written on 12. June 2023.

The proposal to break end-to-end encryption in the CSAM regulation (ChatControl) puts everyone’s privacy at risk but is particularly harmful for women. As countries in the EU and elsewhere turn to digital surveillance to hunt down women who are seeking reproductive healthcare, I called on the Women’s rights committee of the European Parliament to speak out about the dangers of breaking end-to-end encryption, but the committee created to protect women’s rights refused to defend them. Protecting Citizens’ rights to privacy, and women’s right to access reproductive healthcare have been two of...

AI Act vote: our push to protect citizens from Mass Surveillance

Written on 11. June 2023.

On the 14 of June, MEPs will vote on Parliament’s position on the Artificial Intelligence Act, a proposed EU law on how AI is used in Europe. The reports of the IMCO and LIBE committees already go a long way toward protecting citizens, by banning dangerous Biometric Mass Surveillance, but there are still some gaps that need to be plugged.Firstly, while the AI act does ban so-called “emotional recognition”, there are concerns that this ban may not extend to “behavioral recognition”, a deeply flawed technology that has reported hugs as violent assault. I don’t believe that citizens...