Pride marches banned and lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify attendees

International news via Reuters:

Seventeen European Union countries accused Hungary on Tuesday of contravening fundamental EU values by passing laws that target LGBTQ+ people, as tensions deepen between Budapest and a majority of member states.

Hungary’s parliament passed legislation in March that creates a legal basis to ban Pride marches there and lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. It also approved constitutional changes in April stipulating that Hungary recognises only two sexes, male and female.

“We are highly alarmed by these developments which run contrary to the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights,” the governments of the 17 countries said in a joint statement.

They called on Hungary to revise the measures and asked the European Commission to make full use of its powers if Budapest does not do so. The Commission can take legal action against member states if it believes they are violating EU law.

The statement was backed by Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The declaration came ahead of a hearing on Tuesday in a long-running process where EU ministers examine concerns that Hungary is at risk of breaching core EU values.

The process could in theory lead to Hungary being stripped of its right to vote on EU decisions. But diplomats say there is not sufficient support among the 27 EU member states to take that step.

‘MORE NUANCED VIEW’

Arriving at the meeting, Hungary’s Minister for European Union Affairs Janos Boka said: “There is no such thing in Hungary as a Pride ban”.

“I hope that after these discussions my colleagues around the table will walk out with a more nuanced view on the Hungarian legislation,” he said.

But activists say the measures amount to a de-facto ban. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that Pride organisers “should not even bother” this year, while his chief of staff Gergely Gulyas has said Hungary “does not have to tolerate Pride marching through downtown Budapest”. 

Orban, who has been in power since 2010, has repeatedly clashed with the EU and its member countries over democratic standards, minority rights and foreign policy. 

Critics have accused Orban of undermining the rule of law, which the Hungarian government denies. 

His ruling Fidesz party has said the Pride march could be considered harmful to children and that protecting them would supersede the right to assemble.

European Commissioner Michael McGrath, who oversees democracy, justice and rule of law issues, said on Tuesday there were serious concerns about the situation in Hungary. 

“Freedom of assembly is a fundamental right,” he told reporters. 

“It is not a threat to children. It’s not a threat to anyone, and it must be protected and upheld at all times, and so the Commission is examining all of its options,” he said.

Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray in Brussels and Krisztina Than and Anita Komuves in Budapest; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Gareth Jones

The companies failed to implement appropriate measures to protect minors from adult content

International news via Reuters:

Adult content platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos will be investigated for suspected breaches of EU online content law, EU regulators said on Tuesday, in a move that could lead to fines of as much as 6% of their global annual turnover.

The European Commission said the companies had not complied with rules requiring them to put in place appropriate measures to protect minors from adult content.

They also breached rules obliging companies to take risk assessment and mitigation measures of negative effects on the rights of children and to prevent them from accessing adult content via age verification tools.

“The online space should be a safe environment for children to learn and connect. Our priority is to protect minors and allow them to navigate safely online,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement. 

Pornhub is part of Cypriot group Aylo Freesites Ltd, XNXX is owned by Czech company NKL Associates, Stripchat is a subsidiary of Cypriot company Technius Ltd and XVideos is part of WebGroup Czech Republic.

The companies were designated as very large online platforms under the Digital Services Act in 2023, which requires them to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms.

The Commission said it would drop its designation of Stripchat as a very large online platform in four months’ time after its average monthly number of users fell below the DSA user threshold.

Separately, the EU executive said EU countries would coordinate actions against smaller pornographic platforms to protect children.

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee;Editing by Alison Williams

The measure was backed by 26 of the EU’s 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining

International news via Reuters:

The European Union on Tuesday approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) EU arms fund, driven by fears of a Russian attack in the coming years and doubts about U.S. security commitments to the continent.

The approval, by ministers from EU countries meeting in Brussels, was the final legal step in setting up the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme, using joint EU borrowing to give loans to European countries for joint defence projects.

The measure was backed by 26 of the EU’s 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining, diplomats said.

“We adopted SAFE – first large-scale defence investment programme on the EU level,” Poland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said on X.

“The more we invest in our security, the better we deter those who wish us harm.”

The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, proposed the fund in March as fears grew among European leaders that they could not be sure that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration would defend them from attack.

Alarmed by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and fearing they could be Moscow’s next target, EU countries have already increased defence spending by more than 30% in the past three years. But EU leaders say that is not enough.

Moscow has condemned the EU’s rearmament push as an incitement to war based on an “invented story” of a Russian threat. Such words have not reassured European leaders, as Russia made similar statements before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The EU initiative seeks to break down national barriers by financing joint projects between EU countries and includes a strong “buy European” element as it aims to boost the continent’s defence industry.

For a project to qualify for SAFE funding, 65% of its value must come from companies based in the EU, the broader European Economic Area, or Ukraine.

However, companies from countries that have signed a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU can also be eligible, if they meet further conditions.

Britain signed such an agreement with the EU earlier this month, bringing British companies such as BAE Systems a step closer to participation in SAFE projects.

The Commission used a fast-track procedure to launch the legislation, bypassing the European Parliament and only requiring the approval of EU governments.    

Reporting by Andrew Grey, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Sharon Singleton

The group was discovered conducting a hacking operation in September 2024

International news via Reuters:

A previously unknown Russian hacking group was behind attacks last year on the networks of the Dutch police, NATO and several European countries, Dutch intelligence agencies said on Tuesday.

The group, nicknamed Laundry Bear by the security agencies, was most likely supported by the Russian state, the Dutch General Intelligence Agency and Military Agency said in a joint letter to parliament.

“The cyberattacks against Dutch institutions are part of a larger international cyber threat posed by the hacker group,” they said in a statement detailing the findings of their probe into the incidents.

The group operated under the radar until it was discovered conducting a hacking operation in September 2024 in which it successfully gained access to the confidential details of Dutch police officials, it said.

Laundry Bear also conducted cyber-espionage against companies that produce high-end technologies that Russia has difficulty accessing due to Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, it said.

“The investigation also reveals that Laundry Bear has been responsible for cyber operations against Western governments and other institutions since at least 2024,” the statement added.

It said the group had sought to get hold of information related to “the procurement and production of military equipment by Western governments and Western arms deliveries to Ukraine”.

Reporting by Anthony Deutsch;Editing by Helen Popper