An extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament, initiated by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, will take place on 24 February to approve a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Ihor Samokhodsky, founder of the Policy Genome project, stated that AI chatbots, including Russia’s Yandex-developed Alice, can spread disinformation in global conflicts, particularly regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. This highlights the urgent need for accuracy in AI-driven information amid rising security concerns in Europe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to visit Australia later this month to advance a stalled trade agreement, contingent on upcoming negotiations between EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU-INC initiative at the World Economic Forum, aimed at simplifying company formation across the EU. The proposal seeks to eliminate legal fragmentation, allowing startups to operate under a single online system by 2027.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will convene a meeting on competitiveness in Leuven, addressing both economic strategies and internal tensions among commissioners. The seminar includes IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and focuses on implementing the competitiveness report by Mario Draghi.

Lawmakers at the European Parliament are struggling to agree on the design of the digital euro, jeopardising its legislative path. Rapporteur Fernando Navarrete proposed an offline “e-cash” model, while some factions back user accounts on the ECB ledger. S&D’s Nikos Papandreou emphasised the need for payment sovereignty amid geopolitical change.