Rislandr 🇪🇺 🔰

European Digital Identity The EU is creating a personal digital wallet for every EU citizen to use for both online and offline public and private services across the EU. Find out more.

The age verification rules in some countries will use zero knowledge proof via eIDs.

If so, online services should only receive verification of age, without any other personal details. Public administrations should not receive any information about a person's use of online services.

Let's see. 🤞

A catalyst for further integration?

It could be either coordination for proposals under standard procedures, or "enhanced cooperation".

Enhanced cooperation requires 9+ member states, but I imagine getting three more would be feasible, however, initial approval requires a unanimous Council vote.

Easy to forget that Microsoft's GitHub should be considered off-limits for genuine open source projects.

Viable alternatives exist.

I wondered about that too.

Perhaps the infinite scrolling action is an attempt to start with an aspect that would draw less opposition.

But that assumes more action is to come on the aspects you mention.

Worst case - it's intended to silence people like you and me because they're "taking action"

I guess there's also a reasonable explanation for why India bought so much Russian oil off shadow fleet ships. India is a massive energy importer and the temptation of cheap Russian oil was just too good to pass up. The same goes for Turkey, which is another big energy importer. But why has Brazil joined this dubious group of countries?

Why does Brazil keep playing with the bad guys?
It's baffling Brazil has joined China, India and Turkey in ramping up imports from Russia robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/why-does-b... By @robin-j-brooks.bsky.social #RussiaUkraineWar #sanctions

Doesn't that assume that "third-party software" already exists to install on jailbroken F-35 systems? And no, non-EU Israeli software is not an option.

Without the original source code, reverse engineering existing software would take years to reach something that's safe and reliable to deploy.

Doesn't that assume that "third-party software" already exists to install on jailbroken F-35 systems? And no, non-EU Israeli software is not an option.

Without the original source code, reverse engineering existing software would take years to reach something that's safe and reliable to deploy.

Zero confusion about what Europeans should do.

Acquire capabilities necessary for defense of Europe. Smartly reduce vulnerabilities to coercion & blackmail by China & US. Invest in revival of European industry & technology. Work together where interests are aligned.

It‘s quite simple.

"a privacy nightmare"

Are there still good non-Chinese robotic vacuum cleaners available?

Read this before sacrificing your privacy to foreign tech from a hostile autocratic state:

A democratic mandate at continental level is needed if we're to expect good policy fit for a continent and beyond.

Today, DE, FR, ES, IT, or PL are big enough to cause problems. Estonia, Malta etc can shout from the sidelines. Ireland is rich enough to make a difference but would rather sit it out.

But isn't that the point?

We can't trust national leaders of individual small(ish) European countries to make suitable policy for our entire continent and its neighbours.

It's unreasonable for us to expect it - their objective is to satisfy the subnational interests that got them elected.

Yep. Yet another reason to abolish the veto in foreign affairs and defence policy and adopt QMV.

27 vetoes is a weakness that's too easily leveraged by hostile foreign powers.

The EU has no competence in defence or foreign affairs. National governments hold all the power in those policy areas. The Commission & Parliament are hamstrung.

Moving from requiring unanimity to QMV in the Council would go a long way towards addressing that problem (or would arguably solve it).

Europe's $24 Trillion Breakup With Visa and Mastercard A 130-million-user payment system backed by 16 major banks just launched to challenge Visa/mastercard

💳️ Europe's $24 Trillion Breakup With Visa and Mastercard

europeanbusinessmagazine.com/business/eur...

#fintech #eu #digitalsovereignty

Do we understand now that Marco Rubio's speech in Munich this year was just a reworded version of JD Vance's speech last year?

Nothing

Has

Changed

#UnitedFederationOfEurope

Partially agree. Germany imposed an arms embargo on Israel, but far too late, and has resumed exports since the "ceasefire".

Yet another reason for us here in Europe to make our own path, free from hostile foreign influence.

Germany was too reliant, first on Russian gas, then on US-lead security.

Most of Russia's neighbours sought the safety of NATO membership. It's why Russia attacked non-NATO Ukraine.

Since Russian information warfare defeated liberal (albeit flawed) democracy in the US and installed the Trump regime, the Kremlin will be tempted to test European unity in the Baltics.

Agreed, but if war comes to us here in Europe, wouldn't it better to be able to defend ourselves, and our democratic way of life, from imperialist Russian aggression (or the US or whoever)?

And wouldn't it be better to deter such aggression in the first place?
...

Exactly. Brazil doesn't care about imperialist Russian aggression that is an existential threat to us here in Europe.

Neither do India or China.

We signed the Mercosur deal in spite of this, because it's a broader bloc than Brazil, and we need to diversify our trade flows away from the US & China.

Unfortunately a very lonely one.

And in the background, the dark silhouette of a lifeless spruce plantation looms.

It's a shame what taxpayer subsidised industrial agriculture and forestry has done to our landscape and natural heritage.

Stronger sovereign, integrated European capabilities would allow Europe to implement our own foreign policy, regardless of US or Chinese pressure. We could also coerce Israel & others.

If not, we'll have 10 or 20 more Gaza's, but much closer to home, if deterrence of Russian aggression fails again.

It does look like there's more momentum behind EU military integration alright.

It's a choice between the deterrence offered by unified EU military capabilities to defend our sovereignty, and being picked off by predatory foreign powers, one by one.

I hope Ireland does not choose to stand alone.

The transatlantic alliance (the US bit, not Canada) is already dead.

But the rest of the post below is true.

Brazil has joined China, India, and Russia as enemies of Europe.

The US under Trump regime control may be only months away from joining them, as indicated by Rubio in Munich this weekend.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski just schooled Czech Deputy Prime Minister Petr Macinka into accepting that the European Union operates as a democracy.

Populists have nowhere to hide when met with hard facts.

An extraordinary exchange. Well worth a watch.

SECRETARY MARCO RUBIO Secretary Rubio is on travel to Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary from February 13-16, 2026. 11:15 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio meets with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini in Bratislava, Slovakia. (POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP) 12:45 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio meets with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava, Slovakia. (POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP) 1:30 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio holds a joint press availability with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava, Slovakia. (OPEN PRESS COVERAGE) The availability will be streamed live on the Department homepage and the Department YouTube channel. 3:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio holds a meet and greet with employees and families of U.S. Mission Slovakia in Bratislava, Slovakia. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 7:15 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio holds a meet and greet with employees and families of U.S. Mission Hungary in Budapest, Hungary. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

Tomorrow Rubio begins the European MAGA endorsement tour

We should have cleared out the Russians from Crimea and Donbas right at the start - would have avoided so much destruction that followed

yikes!

Rubio's speech at the MSC was not (and should not be) in the least bit reassuring for Europe, the fundamental substance not different to Vance last year

This US Admin and Europe no longer share the same values

This will continue to throw up risks in Ukraine, Greenland, big tech etc

Reclaiming Europe’s Digital Sovereignty | NOEMA Europe can accept permanent technological dependency, or it can build democratic digital systems rooted in climate commitments, labor protections and social diversity.

Europe needs to stop pretending it's a neutral market in a world where digital infrastructure is geopolitical, @francescabria.bsky.social writes. It should act like what it is: a political project with a democratic mission.

www.noemamag.com/reclaiming-e...

And I have problems with other legislation... but the point is: it's law here in Europe. The US has no right to interfere.

If this is whitewashing of US attempts to undermine European sovereignty, then we are indeed on different paths. I have much more to say on this matter, but ok, let's leave it.