World
France and Germany support simplification push for digital rules
As the European Commission prepares to simplify digital rules with a new omnibus plan due to be presented on Wednesday, Berlin pulled out the red carpet in a glitzy summit dedicated to digital sovereignty.
“I’m very curious about what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully it’s a big bold step in the right direction,” said German Minister for Digital Transformation Karsten Wildberger on a panel at the Berlin gathering.
The European Commission has been working for months on a new proposal to “simplify” rules, reduce administrative burden for companies, in particular SMEs, which struggle to comply with complex EU rules, to keep talent in Europe and stay competitive in a global race.
The Commission, supported by France and Germany, hopes that the digital simplification plan that will be announced on Wednesday, after months of negotiations, will “save billions of euros and boost innovation”.
Still, the push text has been met with scepticism among the progressive forces of the European Parliament and civil society, citing a dismantling of protections.
The text proposes amending the rules on data protection and the recently adopted AI Act.
According to a draft version, the rules for “high-risk AI systems”, AI technologies used for sensitive purposes such as analysing CVs, evaluating school exams or loan applications, which were originally scheduled to take effect in August 2026, are now expected to be delayed until December 2027. The European Commission cites difficulties in establishing the necessary standards as the reason for the postponement.
Under the original text, the classification of the system as “high-risk” would have been evaluated by a national authority. The leaked draft, which is still to be officially approved, suggests that this provision would now be replaced by a simple self-assessment, potentially weakening the safeguards intended to ensure compliance with the rules.
Anne Le Hénanff, French minister for AI and digital affairs, said during the Berlin summit that she supports the postponement.
“The AI Act now comes with too many uncertainties. These uncertainties are slowing our own ability to innovate,” Le Hénanff said. “The United States and China are leading the way in the AI race. We simply cannot afford to hinder our companies’ ability to innovate.”
Germany’s Wildberger said that his country also supports a delay, adding that “it’s important to continue this conversation because the world is moving so fast that we have to continuously rework the rules.”
Wildberger said he prefers a “learn-by-mistakes” approach.
“We do not rule out ex ante all the risks. Let’s first build the products, and then take very seriously how these products work – that they are safe, that we have the right processes in place,” he added.
Resistance from the Parliament to open damaging Pandora’s box
Still, members of the European Parliament fear that the Commission’s proposal will open “pandora’s box”, increase risks for consumers and ultimately benefit US Big Tech.
MEPs consulted by Euronews who did not wish to be named as the Commission’s plan is not yet official and talks are ongoing.
They suggested Big Tech companies have been dragging their feet to avoid complying with the current rules and have paid more than ever in lobbying.
Members of the European Parliament from political groups ranging from the traditional majority, which includes The Left and centrist-liberal Renew, have already signalled their intention to vote against the proposal.
Other provisions include exemptions from reporting obligations for smaller companies, or the delay in the labelling of AI-generated content until 2027. Recently, deep fakes created with AI disturbed the Irish presidential elections with viral AI video depicting a fake version the presidential candidate Catherine Connolly saying she was withdrawing from the race.
Another part of the omnibus focuses on simplifying the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It aims to make it easier to access data for training AI models, reduce the number of cookies displayed to users, and harmonise GDPR implementation across all member states. At present, national authorities interpret data protection obligations differently, which can lead to inconsistencies.
Online rights advocates believe that the omnibus overreaches its mandate to the point of undermining fundamental rights.
A letter signed by three major NGOs and addressed to Commissioner Henna Virkkunen reads, “the legislative changes now contemplated go far beyond mere simplification. They would deregulate core elements of the GDPR, the e-Privacy framework and AI Act, significantly reducing established protections.”
On Wednesday, the Commission will also launch a “digital fitness check” to examine how effective existing digital rules, such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, are, and explore areas where overlaps may be happening. This could prompt another wave of simplification from the Commission.
“We are going to have a deeper dive into our regulation also, and after that we will also propose the next simplification effort,” said Commissioner Virkkunen.
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One of the leading American institutes devoted to research on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program sounded an alarm this week over the regime’s uninspected underground site in the Zagros Mountains.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been allowed to visit the secret site, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The highly fortified facility is casting serious doubt on Iran’s willingness to abide by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with the Trump administration. The United States, together with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, 2026, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argue that halting work at Pickaxe Mountain and allowing IAEA inspectors access would be a key good-faith measure to test whether Iran is prepared to abandon its pattern of deception.
OBAMA-ERA INSPECTION FLAWS IN IRAN COULD PERSIST AS EXPERTS WARN OF NUCLEAR BLIND SPOTS
A satellite image shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex in Natanz. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow with the group who covers Iran, North Korea, illicit trade, and nuclear issues, wrote on X: “Important update by us at @TheGoodISIS. The ongoing work at Pickaxe Mountain is deeply concerning. This work has continued steadily since at least 2020. In my view, this is a hedge by Iran in case negotiations fail — they will then have a nuclear facility in a late stage of construction. We assessed that Pickaxe is likely large enough to hold an enrichment plant.”
Iran has used facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan to enrich uranium, the key material for a nuclear weapons program.
Faragasso added, “If Iran is serious about negotiating, it should halt construction at Pickaxe Mountain as a token of good faith. But what can be expected from a regime as brutal and conniving as Iran’s?”
The institute posted a detailed analysis of new satellite imagery from late June 2026 showing continued activity at Pickaxe Mountain.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS SWEEPING TERMS OF PROPOSED IRAN AGREEMENT
Vice President JD Vance prior to a meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Bürgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/Keystone via AP)
The institute wrote that “at Pickaxe Mountain, vehicle activity can be seen on the roads leading to the open set of Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction inside the tunnel complex, as well as hardening of the tunnel entrance, are ongoing. The MOU signed between the United States and Iran requires that Iran maintain the status quo, which should prohibit construction at any nuclear-related facility, including Pickaxe Mountain.”
In late June, the IAEA declined to answer a detailed Fox News Digital query on whether it would seek access to the Pickaxe Mountain facility. According to the satellite imagery obtained by the institute, “at Natanz, little activity can be seen. The access points to the below-ground enrichment halls have not been repaired.
“The personnel entrances remain destroyed, and vehicle entrances remain severely damaged. A single vehicle can be seen on the road outside of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), which was destroyed in June 2025 but was later covered by Iran.”
As U.S.-Iran talks opened Sunday in Switzerland, and a dispute over who controls and monitors billions of dollars in potentially unfrozen Iranian assets emerged. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via Reuters)
The institute also reported, “As of June 29, 2026, there is no observed activity at Esfahan. The tunnel portals remain backfilled with dirt.” ISIS tracked developments at the Fordow site, buried inside a mountain north of the holy Islamic city of Qom.
“At Fordow, as earlier reported by the Institute, between May 10 and May 18, Iran added passive defensive measures in the form of earthen/rocky mounds and other objects on the roads leading to the tunnel entrances. The alternating placements of the piles/objects are very precise, which creates a series of chicanes, indicating they are not intended as obstructions but rather to prevent rapid ingress and egress by any vehicle toward the tunnels.”
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The institute added, “The June 21 Vantor image shows that the objects along the road remain there. The tunnel portals also remain backfilled with dirt” at Fordow.
Fox News Digital sent questions to the State Department and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
Published On 6 Jul 2026
The funeral procession for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran as authorities prepare for crowds that could rival those that turned out for his predecessor nearly four decades ago.
After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the United States-Israel war on Iran, began its journey on Monday through the capital, accompanied by large crowds of mourners, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Crowd surges during Khomeini’s funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.
Thousands filled the Grand Mosalla on Sunday to pay their respects to Khamenei and his four family members who were killed with him on February 28 in air strikes on his office in Tehran.
Monday’s procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
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