Europa starts one of his political cycles further agitated. The return of Donald Trump to the White House with both wars open in Gaza y Ukraine oblige member states to accelerate the bet for the industrial autonomy European, in addition to defense. Continues the exponential growth of China and the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) threatens security and privacy standards, but Europe wants protect its citizens and, at the same time, be able to innovate. The Spanish MEP Laura Ballarínof the party socialistis part of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and also of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the United Stateswhere it plays an active role in strengthening transatlantic alliances at a time of change. In conversation with EL PERIÓDICO, Ballarín analyzes the challenges of the newly launched European legislature.
Europe and the US begin the political cycle almost at the same time, what are the challenges of this alliance?
From Europe we feel more alone today than two months ago in the defense of a global world based on peace and democratic values. The US is a very important ally and right now the second Trump administration does not seem to share the vision of maintaining that multilateral order on which our norms and values were based after the Second World War. Trump has threatened to reduce the US contribution to NATO and, if he withdraws economic and military aid to Ukraine, we have to be prepared. For the EU, support for Ukraine is the defense of territory and the European project itself. At an industrial level, this should help us to opt for autonomy and reduce dependencies. And regarding the results of the American elections, we are also trying to understand what happened.
What lessons do you draw from the election results in the US?
We are trying to understand them demographically and sociologically because electoral trends are global. We already saw it in 2016, which began with the Brexit referendum and when Trump’s first victory caught us all completely off guard. Then there was a wave of authoritarian governments, from Brazil to other countries in the European Union. In these elections, Trump has had much more support from minorities, especially the Latino vote, and that is important to take into account to improve how we talk to citizens about the social policies we develop. And then we have also seen the enormous help of Elon Musk and his social network that he has put at the service of blatant misinformation and a campaign of hate and lies that, unfortunately, has been very effective.
The regulation of technology was a priority in the last legislature, how is it beginning to be put into practice?
It is time to put into practice important laws that we approved in the last legislature, among which is the first AI law to advance the digital transition and to protect consumers. They are beginning to put a stop to the large platforms Google, Apple, Meta, and TikTok, but it is necessary to go one step further to protect minors online and regulate for the first time the addictive designs of platforms that affect emotional well-being. of minors and adults.
What is this step forward in the protection of minors?
Age verification is essential. The platforms tell us that it is not possible to verify the date of birth without violating the privacy of minors, but we know that technology allows it and they are working on different formulas here in Spain with the Mint and Stamp Factory and with the Spanish Association of Data Protection. Other countries are also doing it, but we need a common front to stand up to these platforms. From the Internal Market Commission we are trying to protect minors from exposure to pornography, since their first contact with this type of content has been brought forward until they are 9-11 years old, and in most cases it is not sought. It appears as an ad or pop-up window while playing a video game or watching a YouTube video. It’s a terrifying thing.
Is Europe trying to be a pioneer in its technology regulations?
For years, it has been said that the US innovates, Europe regulates and China copies. Europe wants to get away from that mantra. It is true that with the AI law we were avant-garde in providing a humanistic and ethical approach to the regulation of the risks that arise from this technology, avoiding the violation of data and privacy, its use for social control with biometric data and stopping the misinformation. From the US, what they see first is that we put restrictions on their market but then voices come out calling for similar regulations. In fact, the Biden Administration issued an executive order to regulate AI.
What does Europe have to do to be more competitive?
The Draghi report points out that bureaucratic obstacles must be simplified and reduced to invest and promote business creation. The talent there is in Europe, which can be measured in patent registrations or scientific articles, does not translate into a proportional number of successful business initiatives. We have to review the regulatory framework without, of course, implying a lowering of social or sustainability standards. It also requires putting a lot more money on the table.
Where would that money come from?
Draghi calls for promoting public-private financing, mobilizing companies and institutions. With the Next Generation recovery fund, a new financial instrument was opened through which the EU can incur public debt (community debt) for the first time in history. It was to face a very specific crisis, the pandemic, in a very short time. Draghi proposes investing 750 billion euros per year, which would imply repeating the Next Generation funds annually. We from Spain and from the socialist group support it, and although there will be opposition from other countries and parliamentary groups, it is a debate that we have to address.
