Democracy

This webinar with EU DisinfoLab took place on 16 April 2024, with Devin Bahceci, expert from the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), who shared his insights on how platforms have responded to the EU regulations to prevent climate disinformation.

Governments around the world are trying to tackle “Big Tech”, and in Canada, the government has rolled out a package of digital legislation: Bill C-11 and C-18. But it isn’t without controversy. This Böll.Spotlight podcast episode takes a closer look at these bills, how they’ll affect the average Canadian, the criticisms and what this means for European legislation.

In late 2019, the European Green Deal was presented with pomp and circumstance, garnering widespread support. Just over four years later, as the current EU political cycle comes to an end, this support is withering. The European Commission has shelved parts of the Deal, scrapping proposals to halve the use of pesticides, for example. In the Council, the Nature Restoration Law hangs in the balance. And in the European Parliament, the conservatives have worked to reduce the ambition of the Green Deal, while  the liberals have called for a “regulatory pause”. Meanwhile, the social democrats are campaigning to put the social dimension front and centre.

The AI Act has finally overcome its latest hurdle in the European Union’s legislative procedure after its adoption by the European Parliament. However, a void in its final version draws attention to the weakening of obligations aimed at reducing AI’s environmental impacts, despite the technology’s severe impacts on local communities, fauna and flora, both within and beyond European borders, particularly in the Majority World. This commentary investigates the opportunities missed by EU bodies to address such impacts during the AI Act debates.

The new Climate Clarity Hub is a platform that consolidates knowledge and expertise on climate mis|disinformation. Developed by EU DisinfoLab and supported by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union, it seeks to confront climate pessimism and call for action, sharing knowledge, analysis, content, resources and anecdotes both from an ecological activism perspective and within the counter-disinformation community.

Timothy Garton Ash is one of the greatest political voices in Europe. In his latest book “Homelands,” he tells the story of how Europe emerged from the ravages of war in 1945, recovered, rebuilt, and moved towards the ideal of a Europe that is “whole, free, and at peace” ‒ until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A conversation with Roderick Kefferpütz about shattered illusions, the war in Ukraine, democratic backsliding, and the fight for freedom.

War in Europe, the worsening climate crisis, Europe's position in the global power structure: the EU is facing historic challenges. The European elections in June 2024 will decide what happens next. Current surveys see right-wing populist parties on the rise. They stir up fears about the future and stir up sentiment against Brussels without themselves having answers to the problems of our time. But we need positive and courageous ideas for Europe. [Publication in German]