https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The European Union will ban social media for children under 13 and allow only limited, supervised access until the age of 15 under plans unveiled Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. https://www.thelocal.com/20260916/europe-has-power-to-act-eu-to-ban-social-media-for-under-13s Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:27:10 +0200 europe-has-power-to-act-eu-to-ban-social-media-for-under-13s Calls are growing louder in Europe for action against "pervert" smart glasses after secretly filmed footage of girls and women appeared online -- with a petition in Britain demanding a ban on their sale. https://www.thelocal.com/20260912/europe-eyes-battle-over-pervert-ai-glasses Sat, 12 Sep 2026 14:35:38 +0200 europe-eyes-battle-over-pervert-ai-glasses If there is an industry for it, there will be a lobby group representing its interests in Brussels, home to the European Union's institutions. But which companies or lobby groups splash out the most on seeking to influence EU policy? https://www.thelocal.com/20260911/big-tech-to-banking-which-companies-spend-the-most-on-eu-lobbying Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:02:18 +0200 big-tech-to-banking-which-companies-spend-the-most-on-eu-lobbying How can you make Italian bureaucracy even more needlessly complicated than it already is? Just ask an AI chatbot, writes Clare Speak in this week's Inside Italy. https://www.thelocal.com/20260905/inside-italy-why-ai-is-no-match-for-italian-bureaucracy Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:46:25 +0200 inside-italy-why-ai-is-no-match-for-italian-bureaucracy If you like and trust The Local's coverage you can easily add us as a preferred source on Google to make sure our articles appear in your searches. https://www.thelocal.com/20260216/how-to-make-the-local-your-preferred-source-on-google Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:02:08 +0100 how-to-make-the-local-your-preferred-source-on-google The EU said Thursday it expects Meta to address "addictive" features of its platforms in Europe, after the tech giant agreed to sweeping limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram in some US states. https://www.thelocal.com/20260827/eu-demands-meta-to-protect-our-kids-after-us-settlement Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:13:17 +0200 eu-demands-meta-to-protect-our-kids-after-us-settlement A federation of nearly 300 French newspapers says it has filed a complaint with the country's competition authority over Google's new AI-generated summaries of search results, fearing the feature will erode traffic to their own websites. https://www.thelocal.com/20260811/french-newspapers-target-google-over-ai-summaries Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:45:21 +0200 french-newspapers-target-google-over-ai-summaries The EU's tech chief called on Meta and TikTok to "act decisively" to stem disinformation at times of crisis, saying the European Commission held talks with both platforms Friday following last week's Ceuta migrant surge. https://www.thelocal.com/20260808/eu-tells-meta-tiktok-to-boost-monitoring-fact-checking Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:00:28 +0200 eu-tells-meta-tiktok-to-boost-monitoring-fact-checking AI watermarking and deepfake labelling will soon be required by law in the EU as the transparency part of the bloc’s sweeping AI Act comes into force on August 2nd. https://www.thelocal.com/20260727/explained-eus-new-rules-on-ai-deepfakes-and-chatbots Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:38:09 +0200 explained-eus-new-rules-on-ai-deepfakes-and-chatbots The European Union will from Sunday have the power to enforce landmark artificial intelligence rules and hit any companies breaking the law with fines. https://www.thelocal.com/20260801/eu-gets-new-powers-over-powerful-ai-from-sunday Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:30:47 +0200 eu-gets-new-powers-over-powerful-ai-from-sunday Lawmakers in France are scheduled to vote on Tuesday to ban social media for under-15s -- one of 20 countries worldwide to have proposed or introduced such measures, with many of them in Europe. https://www.thelocal.com/20260713/eu-to-limit-childrens-access-to-social-media Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:02:47 +0200 eu-to-limit-childrens-access-to-social-media The European Union demanded Thursday that Google share data with other search engines and open up its Android system to rival AI services, but the US giant said the measures would put privacy at risk. https://www.thelocal.com/20260716/google-accuses-eu-of-undermining-privacy-of-millions-of-europeans Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:10:36 +0200 google-accuses-eu-of-undermining-privacy-of-millions-of-europeans The EU's top tribunal said that putting criminal records online for payment does not constitute journalism and violates data protection rights, after a Swedish court asked for guidance. https://www.thelocal.com/20260709/lexbase-case-eu-court-tells-sweden-selling-criminal-records-online-violates-gdpr Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:06:00 +0200 lexbase-case-eu-court-tells-sweden-selling-criminal-records-online-violates-gdpr The European Union is moving closer to creating a digital euro as an alternative payment system for Europeans. But why are lawmakers so keen to create a virtual currency and how would it work for EU residents? https://www.thelocal.com/20260623/europeans-are-fully-awake-why-the-eu-is-pushing-for-a-new-digital-euro Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:28:04 +0200 europeans-are-fully-awake-why-the-eu-is-pushing-for-a-new-digital-euro As Europe pushes for more tech sovereignty, social network W believes it has the X-factor to win users away from other platforms: it's European. https://www.thelocal.com/20260618/forget-x-heres-w-the-new-european-social-network-to-take-on-musk Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:50:29 +0200 forget-x-heres-w-the-new-european-social-network-to-take-on-musk OpenAI, the American company behind the tool ChatGPT, is set to open its first Nordic office in Stockholm during the second half of 2026. https://www.thelocal.com/20260618/chatgpt-creator-openai-to-launch-its-first-nordic-office-in-stockholm Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:41:54 +0200 chatgpt-creator-openai-to-launch-its-first-nordic-office-in-stockholm France's domestic intelligence agency will stop working with American AI giant Palantir, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday, as European nations increasingly doubt the dependability of the United States. https://www.thelocal.com/20260616/french-spies-drop-ai-giant-palantir-over-us-overreliance-fears Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:15:16 +0200 french-spies-drop-ai-giant-palantir-over-us-overreliance-fears Sweden's public health agency announced it was recommending that parents not give children their own smartphones before the age of 13, citing several risks associated with their use. https://www.thelocal.com/20260612/swedish-public-health-agency-recommends-no-smartphones-for-children-under-13 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:46:01 +0200 swedish-public-health-agency-recommends-no-smartphones-for-children-under-13 After standardising chargers for mobile phones, from Tuesday new computers sold in EU countries must also use the USB-C charging point, as the latest phase of EU anti-waste legislation comes into force. https://www.thelocal.com/20260428/eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:16:33 +0200 eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers Swedish steel producer Stegra is set to receive 1.4 billion euros in funding from a consortium led by Wallenberg Investments. https://www.thelocal.com/20260414/swedish-steel-startup-stegra-to-receive-1-4-billion-euro-investment Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0200 swedish-steel-startup-stegra-to-receive-1-4-billion-euro-investment