EU Wants to Extend #39;Right to be Forgotten #39; Worldwide: Tech News Today 1144
Privacy regulators in the European Union agreed to a new set of guidelines that would apply the EU #39;s #39;Right to be Forgotten #39; censorship to all versions of Google worldwide. The rules would...
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EU Wants to Extend 'Right to be Forgotten' Worldwide: Tech News Today 1144 - Video
Cancer main cause of deaths in Europe
Cancer continues to kill at a shocking rate in Europe. European Union statistical agency Eurostat has revealed that one in four people die from this disease. In its report the agency warned...
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Outgoing Brussels chief insists the EU would survive without the UK Suggests a British exit would leave the 28-nation bloc only wounded Mocked David Cameron for boasting that he had vetoed a budget rise PM expected to use a speech within days to set outmigrationclampdown
By Matt Chorley, Political Editor for MailOnline
Published: 10:24 EST, 26 November 2014 | Updated: 12:22 EST, 26 November 2014
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The European Union could survive without Britain but not France, outgoing Brussels chief Herman van Rompuy has claimed.
Bowing out as European Council President claimed a UK exit would only 'wound' the EU project, but the departure of France would leave it 'dead'.
And he mocked David Cameron's claim to have vetoed an EU budget rise in 2011.
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European Union would be 'dead' without France but could survive if Britain heads to the exit door, says Van Rompuy
Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today she backed a new multi-billion-euro European Commission plan to kickstart the European Union's flagging economy, if the funds are invested wisely.
"The German government supports in principle the package submitted" by new European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, Merkel told MPs in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
"Investment is important... but what's important above all is which projects" it is ploughed into, she said.
New European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker earlier today unveiled a 315-billion-euro ($390 billion) investment plan to "kickstart" the economy, saying it would show the world that Europe was back in business.
The proposal must still be approved by European leaders in December but would entail an investment fund and a scheme to match new projects with private money.
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he was pleased about the European Union investment proposal.
But he also stressed the need for some European Union member states to undertake structural reforms and said money alone was not enough.
The new European Fund for Strategic Investment will be funded from the European Union's budget and from the European Investment Bank, although the door is open for direct contributions from member states.
Merkel indicated that Germany would probably not be in a position to offer much financially.
Europe's biggest economy is due to approve its draft 2015 budget later this week foreseeing a balance of its public finances for the first time since 1969.
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Angela Merkel Backs 'In Principle' European Union Plan to Revive Economy
EU member states are discussing the possibility of watering down net neutrality proposals made by the Parliament and Commission
The European Union's net neutrality legislation isn't dead yet: EU telecommunications ministers discussing the issue Thursday delayed a decision on the proposed law until next year.
Thursday's meeting of the Council of the EU discussed what to do with a proposal from the European Commission and the European Parliament to enshrine net neutrality in EU law. The Parliament is aiming for a strict form of net neutrality that treats all Internet traffic equally, without discrimination, restriction or interference, a position Members of the European Parliament confirmed in a resolution adopted earlier Thursday.
However, the Council still has to agree to the proposals and could be seeking to water them down. Italy, the current holder of the rotating Council presidency, has been pushing to remove the very definition of "net neutrality" from the bill, and also wishes to allow differential charging for services, according to a document published by the Council.
These proposals were criticized by MEPs, civil society groups and the new vice president of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, who all urged the Council to stick with strict net neutrality rules.
Discussions in the Council though will continue until the Italy's presidency ends, a Council official said. It will hand over the reins to Latvia on Jan. 1.
The change of presidency may not alter much though, because member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, determining the topics and major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18 month period. The current trio consists ofItaly, Latvia and Luxembourg.
Speaking at a press conference after the Thursday meeting, Antonello Giacomelli, the Italian Undersecretary in charge of telecommunications who chaired the meeting, said that the Council had an intensive dialogue on net neutrality, adding that there was a "renewed commitment" towards it. "This was something that the member states supported loud and clear," he said, adding that the Council wants to put "citizens back at the center of things."
Though there were different opinions, the Council was willing to find common ground with the Parliament, he said.
Loek is Amsterdam Correspondent and covers online privacy, intellectual property, online payment issues as well as EU technology policy and regulation for the IDG News Service. Follow him on Twitter at @loekessers or email tips and comments to loek_essers@idg.com
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EU net neutrality discussions to continue into the next year