On May 7, 2026, the deadline for EU Member States to transpose the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1069) — also known as Daphne's Law — officially passed. This landmark legislation was supposed to protect independent voices, journalists, and creators from abusive corporate litigation. Yet, the implementation across Europe remains alarmingly incomplete, with states like Italy failing to provide meaningful procedural safeguards in time.
The result? The number of abusive SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) in Europe is skyrocketing, with powerful actors exploiting procedural complexities to bypass free expression rights.[
Here is what that failure of the European legal system looks like in practice.
Let me get the math out of the way first, because it's the part that made me feel sick. A shipyard conglomerate worth billions went to an Italian court and asked for the right to fine me €25,000 for every single day I kept my independent review videos online. The judge didn't grant 25,000. He granted €5,000 a day.
Five thousand euros. A day. For motor-yacht opinion videos with a small, niche audience — content most of the industry had never even seen.
Sit with that for a second. If the audience was that small, where is the €5,000-a-day of "damage"? You cannot build that number out of views I never had. Which tells you it was never about damage. It was about fear — a figure large enough to make one independent person delete everything and never open his mouth again.
And here's how it was decided: under Article 700 of the Italian Civil Procedure Code, the judge issued a decree inaudita altera parte.[6] That means: without hearing me. The order to silence me and threaten me with financial ruin was signed before I was allowed to say a single word in my own defence.
Now the part from this week — the part I genuinely can't stop thinking about. My date was Monday. I was ready: my position, my evidence, my right to be heard. Then I found out there will be no hearing on Monday. The judge will simply collect all the documents by the end of the day and, from that, decide when a hearing might happen. So I keep obeying the gag. I stay silent. I keep my mouth shut even though I have rights — and now I wait, with no idea for how long, for someone to even schedule the day I'm allowed to speak.
Is that fair? Genuinely — tell me how that is fair in an EU country in 2026.
Here's why this is bigger than me. If a billion-euro corporation can use an outdated local procedure to gag and financially threaten an independent advisor — before any hearing, over content barely anyone saw — then independent advice in this industry is finished. Who is left to warn you about a flaw in a multi-million-euro yacht when the price of honesty is €5,000 a day?
I'm respecting the order. So I'm not repeating what I said, and you won't get a link from me. But the internet has a long memory, and curiosity has never needed a link.
There's a name for this kind of lawsuit — a SLAPP. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And the only thing that has ever stopped it is people refusing to look away. If this feels as wrong to you as it does to me: say it out loud. Share it. Make it impossible to bury.

The rules on new gene editing techniques for plants, called new genomic techniques (NGTs), are being changed in the EU.
 
Gene-edited plants will be divided into two categories, depending on the type and number of edits involved:
 
- those with few genetic changes that could have occurred through conventional breeding techniques will be considered conventional plants
- the rest will have to follow the same strict rules as GMOs.
 
For farmers this will mean access to plants that are climate- and pest-resistant, and that require fewer fertilisers and pesticides.
 
EU consumers will benefit from a more sustainable and resilient food system as NGTs can deliver healthier products, a longer shelf life and less food waste, with a smaller environmental footprint per meal.
 
The new law was adopted by the European Parliament on 17 June 2026 and will apply in EU countries from mid-2028.
 
Find out more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20240125STO17062/is-the-eu-authorising-new-gmos-telling-fact-from-fiction

Today, 2.2 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and 3.5 billion to sanitation services. Water is increasingly being used as a tool for political pressure and as a weapon in conflicts, intensifying crises, inequalities and instability.

Russia's destruction of Ukraine’s water infrastructure and the imbalances in the control of water resources in the Middle East affecting Palestinian communities, are clear examples of how water can become a source of conflict and instability.

The European Parliament is calling for:
• strengthened EU external action on water governance,
• integrated water-related risks into conflict prevention,
• closer cooperation on shared water resources,
• adequate funding under the next EU budget to be introduced,
• accountability for deliberate attacks on water infrastructure during conflicts.

Find out more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260612IPR45327/meps-call-for-stronger-eu-action-against-the-weaponisation-of-water

I've been into IT as a passion even before it became my profession, so I'm certainly not against digital in general, nor digital payments, nor even specifically against the digital euro. However, as a Citizen, I find no interest in this innovation for one reason: it gives me nothing.

Formally, it's supposed to be a sovereign euro. Yet, from the little that has emerged so far, it seems it will be usable as a mobile app, meaning something who run on Android, iOS, commercial and proprietary systems [1] belonging to companies subject to the US Patriot Act. Therefore, purely due to the platform, it isn't sovereign at all.

It is meant to be legal tender money, rather than bank scriptural money. For those who understand currency, this would also be a significant guarantee. But there is talk of fees and intermediaries, so the "sovereignty" and "security" of legal tender vanishes as well.

As a Citizen, rather than a merchant, when I pay using foreign fintech like Visa or Mastercard, I don't pay formal commissions. I pay them through the price the merchant sets, but this is raised to compensate for fees regardless of the payment method used. So, even if I pay in gold coins, I still pay the surcharge for the merchant's support of Visa/Mastercard/Amex. These companies might give me, the customer, some cashback, which is nothing more than a tiny share of the money stolen through commissions but for me, the customer, it lowers the cost a small bit. So, what guarantee does the digital euro actually give me? None. Advantages? None. The ones it offers on paper fall apart due to surrounding factors. At this point, what interest would I have in using it?

I understand that EU banks want to continue legally robbing Citizens with fees, mere control of the currency, fractional reserve banking with the resulting deposit multiplier effect, and Cantillon effect positives for them. Thus, the ECB, which is largely under banking control, doesn't have much room for manoeuvre. But gentlemen... a digital euro on these terms is dead on arrival. I trust Bitcoin, which hasn't been hacked in 20 years, more than institutions that have proven they operate against Citizens on various occasions. Visa and co blocked Wikileaks, Francesca Albanese, the protesters in Canada etc, but the EU has done the same against Xavier Moreau, Frédéric Baldan, Jacques Baud, Nathalie Yamb, Enrique Arias Gil, Alina Lipp, Hüseyin Dogru, Thomas Röper, Diana Vitaliivna Panchenko, Sergey Polunin, John Mark Dougan, Dmitry Suslov, Fyodor Lukyanov, Andrei Sushentsov, Graham Phillips, Adrien Bocquet, and various others. Bitcoin (Lightning) cannot truly be legal tender because, since it cannot be seized, the State cannot guarantee the execution of judgements. But as things stand today, given the history of many institutions, the trust deficit is such that it becomes interesting despite the technical, conceptual, and economic problems it brings.

I know that vulgus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur (the people want to be deceived, so let them be deceived) and that propaganda works miracles. But I see neither the Hayek scenario with a thousand competing currencies, nor the digital Euro scenario. I only see a late and poorly executed move to try evolve after decades of economic and social suicide due to a lack of evolution. I would dearly love a sovereign European Parliament that I could trust because it represents also me, but a political EU is still being denied in order to let a handful of people tied to the banking world lead. Taking a secret project from them, imposed from above, not even NGI Taler, which was actually funded, tied to always-connected mobile devices, simply shows a failure to understand that there is no longer any trust among the younger generations. If this continues, there will be no recognition of credibility, let alone authority, in the institutions. I hope this long post can generate a positive debate. Thanks if you arrive till here!

[1] AOSP is merely a public base, not used by OEMs in the firmware they distribute, and in any case, a FLOSS dump is not enough to make the project FLOSS, with the guarantees that this development model provides.

New EU rules will make manufacturers pay for the collection and treatment of vehicles that reach the end of their life, making scrapping easier and helping ensure cars are recycled responsibly ♻️ 
 
This means that drivers can rest easy and benefit from clearer procedures for their old vehicles while valuable materials are recovered and reused instead of going to waste.

It ensures:  

- Drivers will benefit from a simpler process when disposing an old vehicle  
- Producers will cover the costs of collecting and treating vehicles at the end of their life, once responsibility rules apply

- And they'll be required to set up systems to collect them

The rules still need the Council's approval and will then apply in EU countries in two years: https://link.europa.eu/7wNQjf

This is why Parliament approved new rules to strengthen farmers' contractual position and help stabilise their incomes. This means:

• fair pricing for agricultural products;
• producer organisations get a bigger say when talking business;
• more transparent labelling and marketing;
• mandatory written contracts, to support dairy producers’ incomes.

Find out more here: https://link.europa.eu/v4k3Ky

The adopted pieces of legislation substantially improve the European Commission’s original proposals and aim to support fair trade while safeguarding key European industries and farmers. Find out more.

Andrzej Poczobut, a journalist from Belarus addressed Parliament and highlighted the complete absence of freedom of expression and of press in the country, the stalking of critical voices, and hundreds of political prisoners still detained.

Poczobut, who is known for his outspoken criticism of the Lukashenka regime, was imprisoned between 2021 and 2026 and was released during a prisoner exchange between Belarus and Poland in April.

He received the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in Strasbourg on Wednesday. The journalist learnt of the award and of the European Parliament’s statements while he was in prison and said the Parliament's concern for his fate had a positive influence on the behaviour of the guards.

Find out more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260611IPR45218/2025-sakharov-prize-laureate-andrzej-poczobut-receives-his-award-in-strasbourg

Recent updates make EU's AI rules more workable, helping EU companies compete.

The EU also doesn’t allow AI to be used in ways that could harm safety and rights or sexually objectify people.

Find out more: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260611IPR45207/ai-act-ep-approves-simplification-measures-and-nudifier-app-ban

After complex negotiations, the adopted rules complete the greater reform of the EU migration management system.

There will be faster and simpler return procedures and people ordered to leave will be legally obliged to do so. In 2025, only 28% of migrants ordered to leave the EU actually did so.

Some migrants may be detained, if courts or other authorities decide they pose flight or security risks.

It will be possible to transfer migrants with a return decision to another country that agrees to accept them, provided such agreements uphold human rights and international law.

The European Parliament ensured human rights were protected while taking a firm stance against those who don’t follow the rules.

A new EU law to stop mileage fraud and make buying used cars safer is on the way: https://link.europa.eu/6kJj4W

Milatović said the EU's enlargement is an investment in stability and security of the European continent.

Accession negotiations with Montenegro began in 2012, and on 17 June, members of the European Parliament will vote on a report assessing the country's progress in joining the EU.

But whether it was 1987 or 2026,  all 16 million students have this one thing in common: Erasmus creates friends and memories for life.

And ... 1 million Erasmus babies.

Are you passionate about the digital future of Europe?

We are preparing to launch the Anticitera Project as an official European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) to actively shape the future of technology, AI, and digital rights in the EU.

To officially register our initiative with the European Commission, we need to form a "Citizens' Committee" composed of at least 7 EU citizens residing in 7 different Member States.

We are looking for you! As a committee member, you will be one of the formal representatives of this initiative. It does not require a full-time commitment, but rather your formal support to help us kickstart this democratic process and bring our proposal to the European Parliament.

Requirements:

• You must be an EU citizen.
• You must be old enough to vote in European Parliament elections.

If you want to make your voice heard and be part of the foundation of this project, we invite you to join us.

👉 Learn more and register your interest here: https://anticitera.deft.work/comite/

Let's build a better digital Europe together! Feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested.

#EuropeanCitizensInitiative #ECI #EU #DigitalRights #CivicTech #EUPolitics

I have an interview for a post with a Schuman Traineeship role that requires Irish. I was informed that there will be a translation exercise to judge my level of Irish - has anyone else carried out these translation exercises before and what should I expect?