World
Brussels, my love? The EU’s attempt to regulate AI clears first hurdle
In this edition of Brussels, my love?, we discuss the EU’s recent decision to be the first to regulate artificial intelligence. Some parties, however, were not completely happy with the final compromise.
This week we were joined by a panel of MEPs: Patrick Breyer, German MEP from the Pirate Party, Arba Kokalari, Swedish MEP from the Moderate Party, and Barry Andrews, Irish Fianna Fail MEP.
The European Parliament voted on the world’s first comprehensive set of rules for artificial intelligence this week. As the parliament headed for Strasbourg, all eyes were on MEPs for this groundbreaking vote which passed with 499 votes in favour, 28 against and 93 abstentions.
Arba Kokalari was one of the few who voted against the AI regulation, arguing that the regulation of facial recognition technology will hurt Europe.
“The vote today from the European Parliament [is] shutting the door on using this very important technique in very specific matters as terrorism, child kidnapping. I think for me that was a red line to vote against,” she said.
However, Patrick Breyer said the regulation is a positive feat. “I think it’s been quite a historic week,” said the German MEP. “The parliament backing a full ban on real-time biometric mass surveillance saves our society from a future of mass surveillance.”
Discussions over implementing this regulation have started in EU capitals and the hope is to have this over the line by the end of the year.
Panelists also discussed the Commission’s proposal for an inter-institutional ethics board. This comes after months of scandal (such as the so-called Qatargate) in an attempt to clean up their image.
However, Barry Andrews believes the ethics board won’t be able to tackle such a large issue. “It was very disappointing,” he said. “The budget is €600,000 with three staff [members]. It’s really impossible to see how that would make an impact or that it’s proportionate to the problem that is being identified.”
Watch ‘Brussels, my love?’ in the player above for more.
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World
US military carries out airstrike in Syria, killing 2 ISIS operatives
The U.S. military conducted an airstrike on Monday in Syria, where they killed a pair of ISIS operatives and destroyed a truckload of weapons, according to U.S. Central Command.
A precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr Province, which was formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians, killed two ISIS operatives and wounded another, CENTCOM said.
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The operatives were driving a truckload of weapons, which was destroyed, when they were targeted in the strike.
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“This airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
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Ciolacu's new government sworn in, tasked with bringing stability
Romania’s new government headed by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the leftist Social Democratic Party took the oath on Monday. The new pro-Europe government has been tasked with providing stability and maintaining the country’s pro-European trajectory.
Ciolacu’s new government received 240 votes in favour, seven more than the required 233 votes for motions to pass.
Eight ministries will be under the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) control, six will be overseen by the National Liberal Party (PNL) while the remaining two cabinet posts will be taken up by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania.
Romania’s new cabinet members took the oath on Monday before incumbent President Klaus Iohannis.
Iohannis said he spoke with all the new cabinet members, wishing them success and urged them to work in unity for the people of Romania.
Iohannis also said all the ministers he had spoken with had expressed interest in the continuation of Romania’s pro-European trajectory.
On 1 December, Ciolacu’s PSD secured approximately 22% of the votes in an election cycle clouded with controversy.
The parliamentary race came sandwiched between the first and second round of the country’s presidential race, which saw the right-wing make considerable gains in Romania’s political landscape.
Far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians finished in second in the parliamentary race, winning just over 18% of the votes.
Iohannis’ decision to nominate Ciolacu to form a government is widely seen by critics as a tactical push to shut out the far-right.
The country has been thrown into political instability since and Ciolacu understands the task ahead, will be difficult.
“It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Ciolacu said in a statement Monday. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis. It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.”
The parliamentary election came on the heels of a presidential vote in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu won the first round, in which Ciolacu came third. Georgescu’s surprise success plunged Romania into turmoil as allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged.
Days before the 8 December presidential runoff, Romania’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race.
President Iohannis, who announced he would stay in his post until a successor is elected, hopes the new government can end a protracted political crisis in the European Union and NATO country.
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