Can Brussels stop Elon Musk’s political interference in Europe?

Good morning. News to begin with: Germany leads efforts to lift EU sanctions against Syriaproposing that other capitals adopt a tiered system in which restrictions on the banking, energy and transportation sectors would be lifted in exchange for protecting minorities and preventing the proliferation of weapons.

Today our digital correspondent asks what tools the EU could use to restrict Elon Musk’s use of X as a political propaganda tool, and we receive a dispatch from Ukraine about kyiv’s new offensive on Russian territory.

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Brussels is struggling to cope with Elon Musk who, increasingly, meddles in European politicssome calling for the EU to be given new powers to combat foreign interference, writing Javier Espinoza.

Background: Musk plans to interview Alice Weidel, head of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, on his social media platform X on Thursday. He called on Germans to support the AfD in next month’s elections and also attacked Britain’s ruling Labor Party.

The European Commission will “examine” whether X operates in line with the bloc’s digital rules, a spokesperson said yesterday.

Musk is already facing heavy fines as part of an ongoing investigation in Brussels into X and the potential spread of disinformation and illegal content.

The commission’s statement followed a letter sent to its digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, by Damian Boeselager, a German Green MEP, which demanded an investigation into whether Musk’s use of algorithms met the company’s transparency requirements. the EU.

“There are allegations that Musk is boosting his own tweets,” Boeselager told the Financial Times. “The guy may be crazy but it’s unfair if he amplifies who has to listen to him.”

Boeselager said Europe needed new legal tools to combat individuals such as Musk who meddle in the affairs of other countries. “There is a concentration of power when it comes to safeguarding free speech in general and we are starting to try to understand how to combat foreign interference in the digital domain,” he said.

Politicians also expressed concerns about ongoing talks between Italy and Musk’s SpaceX over government communications encryption systems.

Alexandra Geese, another German Green MEP, wrote on American threatening Ukraine. European security is at stake! Where is the outcry?

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, MEP from the liberal Renew group and former adviser to the French Competition Authority, said, referring to the commission president: “I think Ursula (von der Leyen) should speak out and express his firm opposition to his unacceptable attitude. . . which constitutes a real attempt to manipulate elections in Europe.”

Chart of the day: It’s creeping

Inflation in the Eurozone rose to 2.4 percent in December, the third consecutive monthly increase, dashing hopes of a sharp rate cut by the European Central Bank this month.

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Ukrainian forces are trying to launch a new offensive in the Kursk region of southern Russia, despite a serious shortage of personnel and weapons. writing Isobel Koshiw.

Background: Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia in August, approximately two and a half years after the Russian intervention. invasion of the country. kyiv’s forces captured around 1,200 km², but have since lost around half of that territory.

The Ukrainian General Staff did not explain the objective of the new offensive it started on Sunday. Monday, the fifth anniversary of the initial incursion, he said the overall goal was to prevent a Russian attack on the Ukrainian region of Sumy.

Neither side has revealed whether Ukraine’s new initiative has been successful. The Ukrainian group OSINT Deep State, linked to the Ministry of Defense, warned against the optimistic messages issued by the Kyiv authorities.

“So far, it appears that the Ukrainian operation at Kursk has been quite limited in its objectives and scale, with the aim of gaining better positions in the pocket,” Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said yesterday for International Peace.

In August, Ukraine said one of the goals of the incursion was to force Russia to move key combat units from eastern Ukraine. But Russia instead deployed mainly conscripts and a few elite units from other regions. North Korea, an ally of the Kremlin, has since sent thousands of its own troops to the Kursk region to help Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kursk would be used as a bargaining chip in future negotiations. The latest move could therefore be an attempt by Ukraine to secure more land ahead of planned US-led negotiations under the Donald Trump administration.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Ukraine’s position on Kursk was “important”, adding that it “would be taken into account in any negotiations that may take place in the coming year “.

What to watch today

1. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets senior Egyptian officials in Cairo.

2. The head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas meets Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Brussels.

3. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting France.

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