Good morning from Brussels. I’m Mared Gwyn. Today: why France is holding up the renewal of the EU’s sanctions list, and a teaser of Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union speech.
But first, a scoop: The European Commission is set to propose restricting children’s access to social media such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube while introducing safety requirements for online services like video games and AI chatbots, my colleague Luca Bertuzzi reports.
Under the proposal, due to be unveiled Thursday, minors under 15 years old would not be able to create their accounts on social media or video sharing platforms without their parents’ approval, while tech companies would have to make their digital services safe by design, according to a confidential document obtained by Luca.
The bill is set to feature in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament tomorrow, and follows similar moves by several EU member states to tighten restrictions on children’s access to social media.
EU sanctions deadlock: In other news, France is pressing for Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov to be removed from the EU sanctions list in an effort to secure the release of an unspecified number of French nationals detained in Azerbaijan, according to several officials and diplomats familiar with the negotiations who spoke to Euronews last night.
France’s demand – also backed by Slovakia, a rare joint effort that has baffled Brussels – forced EU ambassadors to agree to extend the existing sanctions for just one week until 22 September to give themselves more time to find a solution that has so far proven stubbornly elusive, my colleague Jorge Liboreiro writes in to report.
The renewal of the sanctions relates to as many as 3,000 Russian individuals accused of supporting Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"France isn't for budging, but it would send the absolute wrong message at the wrong time," one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I'm not sure what will change in a week."
Most member states remain opposed to removing names from the sanctions list while Russia continues its war in Ukraine and amid concerns over hybrid attacks in Europe.
‘National security’: However, some officials acknowledge that France has cited national security concerns, a principle applied to critical issues. The French government declined to comment. "Everything has an explanation," one diplomat said.
"Consultations will continue, and further discussions are expected to be held in due course," a spokesperson for Ireland's EU Council presidency said.
"Renewal of the listings is essential to continue undermining Russia's war machine, and keeping the pressure on those individuals and entities supporting, enabling and benefitting from it. This is a priority for the Presidency."
State of the Union countdown: Expectations are running high ahead of tomorrow’s State of the Union speech by Ursula von der Leyen, and my colleagues Vincenzo Genovese and Luca Bertuzzi, currently en route to Strasbourg, have dug into the main topics set to feature.
The annual address is known for its breadth and length, covering issues ranging from defence readiness to natural disasters while setting the agenda for the next legislative cycle through new policies, strategies, initiatives and action plans.
Yet the sheer number of promises means some inevitably go unfulfilled, while others are quietly dropped or simply fall apart. Our team parsed over last year’s speech to assess von der Leyen’s performance. The results are defintely a mixed bag.
VDL’s U-turn: A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed last night that von der Leyen will attend the plenary on Thursday when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the guest of honour at this plenary session, delivers his much-anticipated speech.
That’s despite the Commission initially saying the president would skip Carney’s speech, despite the Canadian premier attending hers tomorrow. Von der Leyen’s agenda was re-arranged to “make it possible”, the spokesperson said.
EU-Canada renewal: Von der Leyen could flesh out in her speech her vision for a deeper relationship with Canada, EU officials say, after Carney publicly made the case for building a “unique alliance” between Brussels and Ottawa. Yet experts tell me that the revamped relationship is likely to be symbolic above all else, with deeper integration on trade and economics likely to require pain-staking negotiations.
In other news this morning: The European Commission Vice-President for social rights, Roxana Mînzatu, has told Europe Today that a new EU platform on labour mobility set to be presented today will avoid “talented” people “wasting their skills” when they move across EU borders.
The Commission will later today unveil a new European platform designed to make it easier for Europeans to request, receive, and verify social security documents online. The aim is to address the difficulties Europeans face when their documents need to be recognised across borders, ensuring that their social security rights are fully upheld. Watch the full interview.
| 
