Mathieu Pollet

Why Europe’s train Wi-Fi never works Railway internet sucks — and despite some bright plans, even getting decent 5G will remain hit and miss for a while.

We’ve all been there: Calls dropping, video streaming crashing, browsers timing out, signal bars taunting you. 🛜 📶

If you’ve taken a train in Europe, you know the pain of unreliable Wi-Fi (or 5G, for that matter).

This piece won't fix your next journey, but now, at least, you'll know why.

How von der Leyen’s no-confidence vote fueled Russian propaganda A confidential study found that a known Russian disinformation network had ramped up its posts by 60 percent while pushing the narrative that the European Commission president was “toxic.&#82…

As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced, and survived, a vote of confidence, Russian propaganda engines went into overdrive.

That's according to a confidential report that breaks down the “narrative amplification machine” engineered by the so-called Pravda network.

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EU Parliament threatens wider ban on lobbyists as Amazon spat deepens All tech lobbies associated with the e-commerce giant — including DigitalEurope, CCIA Europe and ITI — could be barred from Parliament in major escalation of fight over warehouse working conditions…

The European Parliament is considering revoking lobbying access for every interest group tied to Amazon.

But the jury is still out after Tuesday's meeting of top lawmakers from the employment committee, who have had a bone to pick with Amazon lobbyists over what they see as repeated snubs.

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Trump can pull the plug on the internet, and Europe can’t do anything about it Trump is back — and with him, the risk that the U.S. could unplug Europe from the digital world.

What if Trump could flip the switch and plunge Europe into the (digital) dark?

(Proud of this piece — and there’s a pretty cool animation to go with it.)

👇 ☁️ www.politico.eu/article/dona...

...he says to Signal's president

BREAK - The European Commission has opened the door for delaying some of its flagship AI rules if guidance or standards for companies aren’t ready in time.

By @mathieupollet.bsky.social & me

pro.politico.eu/news/199865

Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ rules breach EU law, top court adviser says Legal opinion bolsters EU’s challenge against Viktor Orbán’s conservative culture war.

Hungary is violating European Union law by cracking down on LGBTQ+ content children might be exposed to, a top adviser at the EU's highest court said today.

Europe’s dream to wean off US tech gets reality check As the Trump administration plays hardball, a new EU strategy puts collaboration front and center.

ANALYSIS: The EU is set to deliver a sobering message to a growing movement in Europe calling for a detox from U.S. Big Tech.

The message? That ain’t happening anytime soon.

W/ @mathieupollet.bsky.social

www.politico.eu/article/euro...

‘Time to sober up’: Europe should be realistic on tech sovereignty, lawmaker says The EU should “identify the few big ideas that can propel our economic and industrial base,” says Bulgaria’s Eva Maydell.

Ooooow snap —
Key European lawmaker Eva Maydell rebukes the EU's plan to become more technologically sovereign, arguing that "some trains have left the station" and that it's time to "sober up."

Follow this and more at @politico.eu's AI & Tech Summit.

www.politico.eu/article/its-...

Trump’s movie tariff threat puzzles Europe As U.S. productions flock overseas, Trump wants to target foreign moviemakers, opening a new front in the transatlantic trade war.

Donald Trump's "America First" hits the big screen.

The U.S. president pledged Sunday to slap a 100 percent "tariff" on movies "produced in Foreign Lands," after governments worldwide have enticed production teams with lucrative tax breaks and lower labor costs.

Huawei fires two staffers in response to corruption scandal Chinese tech giant is at the center of Belgian investigation into wrongdoing.

Just in: Huawei "terminated the employment of two individuals" and suspended a third for their alleged involvement in the bribery investigation surrounding the Chinese technology giant and the European Parliament.

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Brussels could hit Big Tech in trade spat. But how? Digital services could be Washington’s Achilles heel but European officials are conflicted over how to strike it.

The EU holds a Big Tech-shaped card in the trade war deck — but it can't decide how and when to play it.

With @pieterhaeck.bsky.social and @egreechee.bsky.social. 👇

Ukraine is stuck with Musk’s Starlink for now Key competitor Eutelsat won’t break Starlink’s grip on Kyiv’s wartime communications overnight.

Elon Musk says Ukraine’s front line would collapse without Starlink. The EU wants to prove him wrong — but can’t. Yet.

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Huawei, Forum Europe staff face Belgian court hearings over corruption charges Three Huawei employees and a managing director from Brussels conference organizer Forum Europe appeared in court.

Three Huawei employees and a Forum Europe boss were in court this week for hearings related to the corruption investigation into the Chinese tech giant's EU lobbying.

Belgian prosecutors probe whether Huawei paid for letter signed by 8 MEPs Authorities are looking into whether the Chinese tech giant made illegal payments for a letter defending its interests in 2021.

Huawei corruption scandal: The heat is on over a 2021 Huawei-friendly letter.

Who’s caught in the storm? Who’s facing charges? How much money changed hands?

We bring you the latest on the #Huaweigate with @elisabraun.bsky.social, @maxgriera.bsky.social and @benmunster.bsky.social. 👇

Pressure mounts on Metsola to sideline lawmakers linked to Huawei bribery probe MEPs are demanding the Parliament president strengthen internal reporting mechanisms.

Lawmakers are demanding Roberta Metsola “set aside” any peers suspected of involvement in the Huawei bribery scandal, according to a letter signed by 28 members of the European Parliament and seen by POLITICO.

Europeans are missing out on 5G, data shows Slow rollout of full-fledged 5G is holding Europe back while China and the U.S. race ahead.

Don’t let your smartphone fool you. 📶

Like most Europeans, chances are you don't actually have the full-fledged 5G.

While that’s fine for everyday users, the real game-changer — 5G standalone — remains largely a promise, not a reality, for the European industry. 👇

Huawei bribery scandal: What we know so far China’s 5G darling and the European Parliament are caught in a sprawling corruption probe in Belgium.

A new bribery case involving the Chinese tech giant Huawei — a former lobbying powerhouse — is rocking the European Parliament, echoing the 2022 Qatargate scandal.

Everything we know about the sprawling corruption probe so far. 👇

Just back from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where I sat down with Telefónica’s new boss, Marc Murtra.

His message? Europe’s Big Telcos could take on U.S. Big Tech — if the EU lets them.

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US official slams EU’s social media ‘censorship’ Federal Communications Commission chair warns that the EU’s Digital Services Act threatens censorship that is “incompatible” with U.S. free speech.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Brendan Carr doubled down on the warning shot from the U.S. against EU tech laws, with the Digital Services Act’s "censorship" as his prime target.

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The battle over the EU’s standard essential patents bill keeps raging on.

National governments are still very divided on whether to axe the proposal.

Meanwhile, a new cross-party group of lawmakers urged the European Commission to "stay firm in its decision" in a new letter. 👇

Now available for free!

Read our recap of all the changes at the Commission wants to make to corporate sustainability disclosure rules:

www.politico.eu/article/brus...

EU and India to inch closer on trade, EVs and chips at upcoming meet Ursula von der Leyen is leading her new College of Commissioners on their first visit to India.

What’s brewing at the upcoming India-EU Trade and Technology Council?

We got our hands on the draft joint statement — here’s what to expect.

With @camgijs.bsky.social, @jordyndahl.bsky.social.👇👀

The European Commission is drafting a new Cable Security Action Plan — with more funding, surveillance and diplomacy to safeguard Europe’s subsea infrastructure. 👇📄 pro.politico.eu/news/194303

Musk’s Starlink isn’t ready to rule Europe’s internet airwaves Elon Musk’s satellites aren’t — yet — competing to serve Europeans’ everyday internet needs.

Elon Musk's Starlink mega constellation beams internet from space, but will Europe care? 🚀📶

With solid broadband coverage and low prices already in place, cracking this market won’t be easy for satellite internet providers. 👇

The European Commission's decision to drop its standard essential patents (SEP) bill is sparking mixed reactions.

The heavily lobbied proposal has pitted smartphone and car makers against patent holders, including Europe's homegrown tech giants Ericsson and Nokia. 👇 pro.politico.eu/news/193858

🚨 The European Commission wants to scrap draft laws on privacy and financial institutions’ data access, according to the latest work program obtained by POLITICO.

Read for yourself. 👇📄 pro.politico.eu/news/193718

Datacenters : des raccordements sous tension A l’occasion du Sommet français sur l’IA, l’Elysée reçoit, lundi 10 février, plusieurs acteurs du secteur, en compagnie d’EDF et du gestionnaire de réseau RTE, preuve de la sensibilité du sujet éle…

Last but not least — and in French, s’il vous plaît:

Data centers are great, but can France's energy grids keep up? 💡⚡

@emilemarzolf.bsky.social and @nicolascamut.bsky.social dive deep into this critical question. www.politico.eu/article/data...

Paris follows up a cut-price Olympics with a low-cost AI summit France is hosting a global artificial intelligence summit that costs far less than the U.K.’s 2023 affair.

Do you know how much the Paris AI big fest is costing?

@emilemarzolf.bsky.social and @heroceane.bsky.social crunched the numbers so you don't have to. www.politico.eu/article/pari...

EU rules for advanced AI are step in wrong direction, Google says Google and Meta are leading the charge against a “code of practice” governing tools like Gemini, ChatGPT and Llama.

Big tech companies, starting with Google and Meta, have been increasingly vocal against the EU plan to rein in the most advanced artificial intelligence models. www.politico.eu/article/goog...