Vulcan Insight: Analysis of the Latest EU Developments

Money, money, money: the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework showdown continues

Every seven years, EU leaders descend on the European Council’s headquarters for a multi-layered, rhetorical fight-to-the-death ‘battle royal’ to agree the EU’s seven-year Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) budget. Following months of proposals and internal negotiations by the Commission, Council and Parliament, European Council President Charles Michel called for EU27 Heads of State and Government to descend on the Europa building to hammer out a final compromise in a special meeting of the European Council. Keep reading

Irish Data Protection Commission launches report

This week the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) published its 2019 Annual Report. The Commission is responsible for regulating the technology giants whose EU headquarters are based in Dublin, and this is its first full report since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018. Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has been leading 23 investigations into tech companies based in Dublin including Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Whatsapp, and Google. Keep reading

European Commission launches new Digital Strategy

On Wednesday European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched her plans on shaping Europe’s digital future. Writing in an op-ed in several leading European newspapers, von der Leyen declared she is a “tech optimist” and sees technology as a force for good, stemming from her experience as a medical student. She believes digital transformation can power economies and help find European solutions to global challenges. Keep reading

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