Can Brussels stop Elon Musk’s political intervention in Europe?

good morning. The news begins: Germany is leading efforts to lift EU sanctions on Syria, offering a tiered system to lift restrictions on the banking, energy and transport sectors in exchange for protecting ethnic minorities and preventing weapons proliferation. The capital proposes to support it.

Today, our digital correspondent is asking what tools the EU can use to limit the use of X as a political propaganda tool by Elon Musk, and Kiev within Russian territory. has been dispatched from Ukraine regarding new attacks.

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Brussels is struggling to cope with Elon Musk’s increasing interference in European politics, and some are calling for the EU to gain new powers to counter foreign interference. writes Javier Espinoza.

Background: Musk is scheduled to interview Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, on his social media platform X on Thursday. He called on Germans to support the AfD in next month’s elections and also attacked Britain’s ruling Labor Party.

A European Commission spokesperson said yesterday that the European Commission would “investigate” whether Company X was operating in line with the region’s digital rules.

Musk is already facing a hefty fine as part of an ongoing investigation in Brussels into X and the potential spread of disinformation and illegal content.

The commission’s statement follows a letter from German Green Party lawmaker Damian Boeselager to digital chief Hena Virkunen calling for an investigation into whether Musk’s use of algorithms meets EU transparency requirements. demanded.

“There is a suspicion that Mr. Musk is exaggerating his tweets,” Boeselager told the Financial Times. “The man may be crazy, but it’s unfair to amplify the people who have to listen to him.”

Borsselager said Europe needed new legal tools to deal with people like Musk who meddled in other countries’ affairs. “There is a general concentration of power when it comes to protecting free speech, and we are trying to figure out how to deal with foreign interference in the digital realm,” he said.

Politicians have also expressed concern about ongoing talks between Italy and Musk’s SpaceX over encrypted systems for government communications.

Fellow German Green Party lawmaker Alexandra Gies wrote of X: “Meloni’s $1.5 billion contract with SpaceX will hand over Italian government, defense and military communications to an unpredictable proto-fascist private member of a future U.S. government that threatens Ukraine. Europe’s security is at stake. We are in crisis! Where are the protests?”

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a liberal Renew lawmaker and former adviser to the French competition authority, said: attitude. . . This is a real attempt to manipulate European elections. ”

Today’s chart: Creeping

Eurozone inflation rose to 2.4% in December, the third consecutive month of increases, dampening hopes that the European Central Bank would cut interest rates sharply this month.

negotiation chip

The Ukrainian military is attempting a new offensive in Russia’s southern Kursk region despite severe shortages of personnel and weapons, writes Isobel Kosiv.

Background: Ukraine launched a surprise invasion of Russia in August, about two and a half years after Russia invaded the country. Kiev forces occupied about 1,200 square kilometers, but have since lost about half of their territory.

Ukraine’s General Staff has not explained the purpose of the new attacks, which began Sunday. On Monday, five months after the first invasion, the country’s government said its overall objective was to thwart a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Sumy region.

Neither side has said whether Ukraine’s new push was a success. Ukraine’s Deep State OSINT group, which is linked to the Ministry of Defense, warned against optimistic messages from Kiev authorities.

Michael Koffman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said yesterday that “So far, the Ukrainian military operation in Kursk has been fairly limited in purpose and scale, with the aim of gaining a more favorable position.” It seems that he was doing so.”

Ukraine said in August that one of the aims of the invasion was to force Russia to move its main combat forces out of eastern Ukraine. But Russia instead deployed mainly conscripts and a small number of elite troops from other regions. North Korea, an ally of the Kremlin, has since sent thousands of its troops to the Kursk region to support Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kursk would be used as a bargaining chip in future negotiations. The move could therefore be an attempt by Ukraine to secure more land ahead of expected US-led negotiations under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Ukraine’s position in Kursk was “important”, adding that it would “take into consideration any negotiations that may occur over the next year”.

what will you see today

European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola met with Egyptian officials in Cairo.

EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas meets Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Brussels.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits France.

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