MEP Candidate – Karen Melchior

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 to...

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 pain...

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...

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...

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...

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 my...

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 should...

Due Diligence Mandate for European Parliament

Written on 7. June 2023.

It was a big moment when we in the European Parliament last week voted through the compromise on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive! Now the negotiations with the Council (the EU Member States) can begin. The “due diligence” directive defines what responsible big companies must do to minimise their impact on the environment and uphold human rights. In the EU, we have rules covering hazardous sectors like conflict minerals and timber. With the proposed legislation, we want a set of rules that apply to all industries. The mandate for the European Parliament to enter into negotiations...

Free Period Products for EP Visitors

Written on 28. May 2023.

I am happy to share that the European Parliament is launching a pilot project of providing free period products at our visitors’ toilets! Thank you to all my colleagues from different political groups who supported this initiative of mine, which the Parliament has adopted. We believe that menstrual security should be a collective issue. It is a question of dignity, solidarity, and health. Period products are a necessity for a sizable proportion of our guests. For people on their period, they are as intuitively essential as toilet paper, soap or hand towels and should therefore be made...

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,...

Twitter kills 3rd party app ecosystem?

Written on 16. January 2023.

Potentially anticompetitive shutdown by Twitter of third-party app ecosystem Last week, a service (API) provided by Twitter allowing third-party software to interact with the social network was shut down. For decades access via API spurred the development of a commercial ecosystem of third-party apps built around Twitter: software for tweet scheduling, business customer service, posting to multiple social networks, or analytics. Providing superior user control and experience. The shutdown of the service, around which many SMEs and indie developers have built their businesses, has paralysed the...

Are Shares in Companies Undue Influence?

Written on 21. December 2022.

Karen Melchior pale faced woman with a purple shirt on looking into a mirror adjusting her short dark har.

I find it super important to have transparency and openness about potential undue influence on politicians. So I welcome any conversation and questions about this. The financial interests of politicians is part of this conversation. As uncomfortable as it is being quizzed on my personal finances and talking about them openly. This is the only way we can avoid undue influence – through transparency and openness. For me, being transparent also makes me evermore aware of not being less critical of companies I have shares. I am actually more critical, because I do not want others to be able...

European Parliament calls on improvement on human rights in Egypt // نص مقترح لقرار وفقا للمادة 132 من النظام الداخلي بشأن حالة حقوق الإنسان في مصر

Written on 25. November 2022.

We in Renew Europe succeed in having a plenary debate on the situation of human rights in Egypt, strongly condemning Egyptian authorities’ crackdown on civil society, including during COP27P. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, attended and spoke at the debate on behalf of High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell The European Parliament decried a lack of rights and basic political freedoms in Egypt and reiterated its firm condemnation of the country’s widespread use of torture by security services. It also urged Egypt to cooperate fully with investigations...

Global Encryption Day – Stop Scanning Us

Written on 21. October 2022.

Whether citizens know it or not, encryption is at the heart of everything we do: it protects our bank cards and ID, keeps us safe when shopping online, and keeps our conversations private.On this #GlobalEncryptionDay i think it is important to recognise, however, that encryption is under attack from all sides, including in the European Union. The Commission’s “Chat Control” proposal is the latest and largest of such attacks. It would subject all our conversations to government-mandated error-prone scanning systems, effectively ending the right to private correspondence. This...

Digital Advisor Vacancy in European Parliament

Written on 27. October 2021.

Not afraid to work independently nor to commit to an honest collaboration with others? Do you take pride in delivering quality? Are you a team player and a good colleague? Then the job as a digital employee is definitely for you. Your duties and responsibilities will be: Follow developments in digital rights and digitization and cover one of my EP committees Attend or represent me in stakeholder meetings, coordination meetings, seminars and workshops On digital issues, be responsible for my participation in the legislative work, including preparing amendments, as well as oral and written...

Parliament Magazine: 5 questions with…

Written on 17. November 2019.

I got to reply to 5 quick questions for Parliament Magazine edition 505 1. Is there anything you have personally achieved or done that would surprise people? I speak French in meetings in the parliament, both in plenary, committee and group meetings. I love speaking other languages as it allows me to connect with and understand other people better. Speaking EU English is useful, but it doesn’t allow you to really connect with citizens in other countries or your colleagues. 2. How would you describe your political/leadership style in three words? White water rafting: Plan for...

Job Advert: Legal Advisor

Written on 12. November 2019.

I am looking for an enthusiastic and experienced legal and policy advisor to join my team in the European Parliament. You will be a vital part of my work as an MEP by giving me and my team accurate and timely advice on various legal matters and policy development. You will advise on matters within the JURI committee and be responsible for supporting my work as a coordinator in JURI. You will furthermore take part in collaboration with other colleages in the Renew Europe Group. Some of your competences, qualifications, or experience Strong analytical and policy skills, particularly within the...

Announcing My Team

Written on 7. November 2019.

Karen MELCHIOR with my team Ásta Helgadóttir, Magnus Lund Nielsen, Fahad Saeed and Nana He It’s high time to announce my team, which will be working with me in the coming years working for Europe. My office is taking shape and I have so far hired three talented parliamentary assistants for now: Ásta, Fahad and Nana in addition to a communications intern, Magnus. Digital agenda and equality will be the cornerstone of my work in the next five years in the Europea Parliament, and my new team reflects that! Ásta Guðrún Helgadóttir: Chief of Staff and Digital Policy Advisor Ásta is my Chief of staff...