Von der Leyen: "Ultranationalists and Russians want to shatter European unity. Canada will be the first associate member."

Artificial intelligence

Focus on artificial intelligence and the AI Act, the European legislation governing the sector. "The AI Act is a crucial element and positions Europe to guide global efforts on how to address this issue. Therefore, we will intensify our engagement with like-minded partners, such as Canada and the United Kingdom." " We want to collaborate on model evaluation, verification, early warning, AI safety, and much more: I will invite leading cutting-edge laboratories to a discussion on how we can support ongoing efforts to keep pace with innovation."

Women's rights

Among the steps was the defense of women's rights, part of the Union's fundamental values. "Today, our fundamental values are being called into question. Some even want to make us retreat on women's rights. To take us back to an era when women were second-class citizens." "We have fought so hard for equal treatment, equal opportunities, equal pay," she added. And she concluded: "Women are here to stay. We will defend our rights. And we will continue to defend our values every single day."

Gaza: The E1 project is "unacceptable."

Then there's the war in Gaza and the situation in the West Bank. "The profound suffering in Gaza and the uncontrolled violence of settlers in the West Bank have deeply affected Europeans. The Israeli government's decision to move forward with the illegal E1 settlement project is unacceptable. Last year, I urged Europe to act, proposing a series of measures. It is painful for many Europeans that member states have failed to reach the majorities necessary for a unified response. Some member states have already taken steps in this direction. Others are considering doing so."

"No social media for children under 13"

On the protection of minors online, von der Leyen announced a European crackdown. "Tomorrow, the Commission will propose the EU Kids Act. We will adopt a gradual and differentiated approach. Each age group has its own specific needs and, consequently, each will have an adequate level of protection. No use of social media for children under 13. No personal accounts for children under 15. " "This means that, from 13 to 15 years old, only mini-accounts created and supervised by parents will be allowed, with limited functionality and time restrictions," she added. "Between 15 and 18 years old, however, user safety in design will become a requirement for platforms. I am aware that many perceive the power of big tech companies as overwhelming and impossible to contain. I disagree," von der Leyen remarked. "We must not accept features that create addiction. We must not accept children being attracted to increasingly extreme content. We must not accept that photos of girls are used to create sexualized images generated by AI . "But it's not just minors who are at risk. Addictive design, for example, harms everyone. That's why we need a broader regulatory framework, the Digital Fairness Act. We will propose it in the fall ," he announced.

"Ceuta is Spain. Ceuta is Europe."

Finally, the borders. "All our external borders are European borders. I would therefore like to address the Spanish people directly: the Ceuta border is a European border. Because Ceuta is Spain. Ceuta is Europe . And Europe will be by your side." "This summer's events demonstrate that our tools must evolve—especially for emergency situations. Especially in scenarios where mass movements are orchestrated and exploited for political purposes. That is why we will propose a new European Emergency Response Instrument."

(Unioneonline/D)