Germany wants to boost relations with Africa. During his trip, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has promoted cooperation on energy, infrastructure and the economy. He also criticized US treatment of South Africa.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1851984/poland-bans-chaining-of-dogs-and-cats

France has adopted a landmark law targeting ultra-fast fashion, introducing immediate transparency rules, enhanced EPR [Extended Producer Responsibility] eco-contributions, advertising and influencer restrictions, and removal of tax incentives for unsold goods donations. The law is designed to reduce environmental impacts and promote responsible consumption.

On July 9, 2026, French Law No. 2026-602 of July 8, 2026 was officially published, making France the first country to enact legislation specifically targeting ultra-fast fashion.

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Businesses that operate high-volume, rapidly changing fashion models may face significant compliance and cost implications under the new regulatory framework.

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Key Provisions

• Mandatory Transparency Requirements (Effective immediately)

Online sellers must:

• Provide clear information on the environmental and social impacts of products, including messages encouraging responsible consumption, reuse, repair, and recycling.
• Inform consumers about the social, environmental, health, and delivery-related impacts associated with products.
• Clearly display manufacturing locations alongside the product price.
• Ensure such information is presented in the same font size, remains easily accessible, and appears on all relevant sales pages.

Advertising and Influencer Promotion Ban (Effective 1 January 2027)

• The law introduces a comprehensive ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion products and brands.
• The prohibition also extends to influencer marketing activities, including promotions that involve: free gifts; product loans; and sponsored invitations or similar benefits.

Influencers who violate these requirements may face fines of up to €100,000.

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Archived

The US president threatened to hit the European Union with tariffs and a formal trade investigation over Brussels' latest antitrust penalty against Google.

The European Commission on Friday said it found TikTok had not adequately protected children’s privacy rights on its platform by allowing adults to view the accounts of minors.

The action exposed children to cyberbullying, unwanted contact and predatory behavior, commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said.

“Children’s content must never be visible to strangers,” he said. If TikTok does not take steps called for by the European Union’s landmark Digital Services Act, “minors are exposed to predators, to grooming and to cyberbullying,” Regnier said, adding that children aged 13 to 15 can “easily” change their accounts from private to public and the private accounts of minors aged 16 to 17 can be seen by anyone on the internet. “We do not accept this,” Regnier said. “Putting default settings for minors is not a beauty contest under the DSA. It must be effective.”

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The investigation comes on the heels of back-to-back crackdowns on Big Tech by Brussels, which has led the world in regulating tech behemoths including Meta and Apple.

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The Chinese social media firm, whose parent company ByteDance is based in Beijing, said in a statement it would review Brussels’ findings and “continue to engage constructively with the Commission.” ... If unsatisfied with the firm’s response, the commission could issue a so-called non-compliance decision and possible fine worth up to 6% of the company’s total annual revenue.

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The commission estimates most of TikTok’s 170 million users in the EU are children, with 7% of children aged 12 to 15 spending four to five hours daily on the app.

The 27-nation European Union found in February that TikTok had breached another aspect of its digital rule book with an “addictive design” of features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling that could harm the physical and mental health of users and minors especially.

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Archived

https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/a-doua-drona-doborata-in-spatiul-aerian-romanesc-anuntul-presedintelui-nicusor-dan-3877929

A new drone was shot down Saturday morning by a Romanian F-16 pilot, President Nicușor Dan announced. The drone was intercepted near the town of Sfântu Gheorghe, close to the border with Ukraine. This is the second such incident in two consecutive days, after the same pilot shot down a drone that had entered Romanian airspace over Buzău County on Friday. “This morning at 8:30 a.m., another drone was shot down in Romanian airspace, 10 km west of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe (Delta). The drone was shot down by a Romanian pilot flying an F-16,” Nicușor Dan wrote Saturday morning in a Facebook post.

The ECB makes a survey on which design should the new banknotes have. You can participate here: https://surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/banknotes/share/ . The designs include birds and buildings or famous persons and culture.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/68494818

cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1850826/when-you-watch-the-tour-de-france-think-sudan-war-uae-state-companies-sponsors-elite-cy