The State of the Union and European Defence Readiness
The beginning of autumn in Brussels and Strasbourg has been marked by a heightened focus on defence readiness and the State of the European Union. Russia’s recent drone attack on Poland crossed yet another line, testing the readiness of NATO countries. Europe must be able to guarantee its own defence. The EU’s role is to support the military alliance NATO by strengthening its defence industry and capabilities, internal market, and by promoting joint procurements and access to funding. The EU’s Defence Readiness Omnibus aims to address these challenges. I have been appointed as Rapporteur from the ITRE committee for the first file in the Omnibus. It is an honour to contribute to and promote the swift and effective passage of this legislation.
In Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the Union speech. I was positively surprised by her decision to include the situation in Gaza in her speech. The EU is demanding the immediate end of Israel’s war crimes, stands firmly behind the two-state solution, and is ready to impose sanctions on Israel. Measures such as suspending trade relations and Horizon Europe funding are steps in the right direction. Pressure on the Israeli government must be increased.
Meanwhile, the controversial CSAM Regulation, also covered in Finnish media, is moving forward to the October meeting of the EU Council of Ministers. Denmark has been pushing the proposal aggressively, with France supporting it. I believe we all agree on the goal of eradicating content related to child sexual abuse from our online environments. However, this legislative proposal will not achieve that. Breaking end-to-end encryption would only open the door for criminals to access our messages. Messaging services are either encrypted or they are not. Also, Denmark, currently holding the Council Presidency, is proposing trackers on private messaging platforms, which would give authorities access to our personal communications, as well as AI-based scanning of all our messages. I have opposed this kind of regulations for years and remain deeply concerned about Denmark’s proposal. Next, the Council will define its negotiation position before talks with the Parliament begin. The best outcome would be for the Commission to withdraw this deeply flawed proposal altogether.
We have a new trainee in our office, Kaarina Harkonmäki. I’m happy to welcome her to the Brussels team. She will support me especially with communications and will also follow the work of delegations from Canada, India, and Southeast Asian nations. There are many internship opportunities within EU institutions – the most well-known being the Schuman and Blue Book traineeships. I encourage you, your family members or friends to apply. I myself began my EU career with a Blue Book traineeship at the Commission in 2009.
Wishing you a pleasant September,
Aura
Member of the European Parliament, National Coalition Party, EPP Group
