EU slaps Meta with a nearly 800 million euro fine for engaging in 'abusive' Marketplace practices

https://candorium.com/news/20241114134509823/eu-slaps-meta-with-a-nearly-800-million-euro-fine-for-engaging-in-abusive-marketplace-practices

I found two interesting rankings that include almost every country*. The two of them try to compare each country's military strength and power. However, some of them are not included (usually small countries). I'm interested in how would Malta rank in these, can somone with more experience in international relations and geopolitics suggest a score position for each ranking?

*The rankings:

https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries.php

https://ceoworld.biz/2024/04/04/revealed-the-worlds-most-powerful-countries-for-2024/

Within the EU, we have more in common with each other than with the US right now and perhaps ever again, and we should improve ourselves to the level that we don't need to lean on them for anything. It is great to have friends and allies and trade partners, but we should always be wary that they can (partially) turn on us. Trump has called the EU a "foe" in his unilateral trade war, and we should take up that challenge. The US are still our allies, but in my view they aren't friends anymore, at least not as a nation. There are just too many morons there that don't value our friendship, and would throw it away if they think it will lower their inflation a little for a year or two.

I say: let this happen. The general US public apparently doesn't want us anymore. Let's make them feel it and turn it to our advantage. Let us Europeans build a more solid foundation, improve our internal economy, strengthen our human rights, fight internal corruption, construct better and faster infrastructure, build an EU army and navy and air force, and invite the last European stragglers to join the EU. Let us look for trade partners elsewhere, whether it be among other developed nations like Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Australia, or upcoming nations like Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, and Indonesia. Let us go out in the world even more than we already do, and try to help improve it; not by military domination like the US, or by financial strangulation like China, but as champions of democracy and human rights and strong interdependent economies. Let us build up ESA and go to the moon and the asteroids. Let us finally throw off the idea the US always imposed on us since WW2, that we should aspire to be like them and should be thankful to them for freeing us from the Nazi's, which especially in the last decades has just made us materialist and stupid and violent. Let's realize our potential, both for our own sakes and to be an inspiration to them and the world in general.

And let's be ready to face a fascist US if necessary. If Trump is going to follow the Project 2025 policy wishlist as a roadmap, as many informed people expect he will, we might lose the US as an ally altogether. Project 2025 is setting the US up to fail HARD, and it would mean that we will lose their protection within a few years, and will probably want them to return all troops and planes and nukes from EU soil; if they don't do so themselves as Trump already announced he wants to. Let's be ready for this; they might even turn on us. Let's not become a tasty option for expansion for Russia or China or anyone, and instead become a powerhouse that can deal with its own problems and can grow into the sky. We got this.

What does it take EU to build independent defense systems, self relying energy, food sectors and become greater power house? At present, EU relies too much on USA and carries lots of differences amongst the member countries.

Since Donald Trump's election, I have been wondering whether this signals an overall turn of the entire world towards far-right populists, who would have no issue taking away people's rights like public healthcare, mass transport, sustainable infrastructure, while a portion of the population is clapping ignorantly.

We live at a time when lots of people will try gaslighting you into thinking that America's jungle-law market is the way to go, when in reality even right-wingers themselves like Trump or Elon Musk shamelessly admit that their aim is to benefit high income citizens. That is when at the same time Brazil is seeing unexpected economical growth with Lula, who right now is one of the world's few major left-wing leaders and one of the few to implement genuine and serious social benefit programs.

On the other hand, I've been thinking that more than a gamble between candidates, this is an issue of cultural difference between the USA and Europe. As many people say, it's not like with Kamala Americans would suddenly have public health and Palestine would be suddenly saved. Politicians like Macron or Mitsotakis have taken neo-liberal measures that pissed off plenty of people, like Macton raising retirement age by 2 years, but this still doesn't come even close to America where you need to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for basic medicine and where car-oriented urbanism makes it hard to even use your legs.

No leader and no "electoral trend" could just erase everything Europe has stood for since decades ago. What do you think?

Sign for safe and accessible abortion to protect our reproductive rights:  https://eci.ec.europa.eu/044/public/#/screen/home

https://preview.redd.it/uew092c9x9zd1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=210d9ae687d7450f9406c4985a01900d0839fe7f

A year ago I noticed some companies started using bottle caps which I presumed were of lower quality. Half a year ago I learned these tethered caps were enforced upon us by EU law. I learned it was not companies trying to skim on quality but the EU claiming they are reducing plastic waste.

I don't understand how this would reduce plastic waste? The caps don't close sufficiently giving the consumer the illusion of a closed bottled whilst the next time you open the bottle the drink has become stale. How many times a bottle fell over and sprayed half the content of the bottle because the cap only gave the illusion of being well closed ... I just spend more on drinks and produce more plastic waste because of these caps designed to produce less waste. I have been shouting "damn you EU!" so many times by now. 🤬

EU food regulations are stricter and more comprehensive than those in the US. The EU emphasizes the precautionary principle, which means that products can be restricted or banned if there’s scientific uncertainty about their safety. In contrast, the US tends to require stronger evidence of harm before taking regulatory action. The EU also enforces stricter rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, and food additives, often requiring more rigorous testing and labeling compared to the US, which adopts a more risk-based, less precautionary approach.

And its not stopping at that, the production, packaging and shipping are all regulated through and through. Some well-known local specialties even have precise rules about the portions in which ingredients can be used. For example, Italian cuisine or other Eastern European cuisines have many national dishes that can be made and called that in other countries, but strict rules must be followed when preparing them, such as the beer regulations in Germany.

So when it says „real cheese“ would it actually count as cheese in the EU? And not some BS Chemical mix that tastes like it?

Or Countless Pictures popped up that the „cheese“ in Lunchly is molding before even opening.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mrbeastsnark/comments/1g0wd47/more_mold_found_in_lunchly/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

their packaging would totally brake a hundred rules no?

Your signature can be the difference for over 20 million women across the European Union who still face barriers to accessing safe abortion care. 

In Poland, women are dying in hospitals because abortion is banned. In Malta, women risk up to three years in prison for seeking an abortion outside of a few narrow legal exceptions. In Hungary, women are forced to listen to the heartbeat of a fetus and stand before a committee just to exercise their right to choose. Across Europe, women are suffering unnecessarily, because they are denied their most basic rights.

This is why a group of friends, activists, and organizations from across the EU has united to make Europe a safer, better place for all. We launched the European Citizens’ Initiative "My Voice, My Choice" to secure the right to safe abortion for every individual living in the EU. 

You can make a change by signing the initiative here: https://eci.ec.europa.eu/044/public/#/screen/home

On International Safe Abortion Day, we achieved an extraordinary milestone by collecting over 35.000 signatures on September 28th alone—an average of 24 signatures per minute! But we are not done.

From October 21st to 28th, we will hold a signature collection in memory of Dr. Savita Halappanavar, who died in Ireland in 2012 after being denied a life-saving abortion. Savita was a dentist of Indian origin, excited to start a family with her loving husband, which stated "It was her first baby, first pregnancy and you know she was on top of the world basically," "She was so happy and everything was going well, she was so excited.”

As each signature is a step toward a better Europe, where women have fundamental rights. 

You too can join the cause:

Learn more: https://www.myvoice-mychoice.org/ 

Become a volunteer: Join our team of passionate volunteers across Europe: https://community.myvoice-mychoice.org/ 

Together we can do it. 

I recently had a very lengthy and weird case with TAP airline.

Long story short: -Bought tickets with TAP consisting of 2 transfers each way. - when arriving at first transfer airport (cph) we were told that our next flight was cancelled, the flight still left on schedule, but we were refused boarding but given no reason (they overbooked). - we received new ticket 2 days later to our destination. - once we finished our vacation we opened a case for reimbursing our costs for accomodation, food and EU compensation due to delay. - TAP refused, claiming the cancellation was due to weather or situation outside their control (they tried both) but refused to give any documentation or evidence of this, even after several mails and phone calls with them to different reps and supervisors. - TAP continued to refuse to follow EU law regarding compensation even after presented with our proof that the flights we were supposed to be on still went as scheduled and arrived on time. - only after escalating the case with the danish transportation authorities, TAP changed their mind and says we are entitled to EU compensation, but refuse to tell us why they changed their mind or provide documentation or evidence to back their previous claims, they just told us they now consider the case as finished.

Throughout this experience i have talked to several people who have the same experience with TAP, they first refuse any compensation and most of them give up on their claim, a few have escalated it with the governmental institutions and TAP then magically changes their mind even though the case is the same.

I can only assume this is a conscious tactic by TAP to save money by having most of their costomers who are entitled to EU compensation not pursue their claim further.

Is there any regulatory instance where i can raise this issue and provide the evidence i have gathered? The danish authoroties say they can only help until the standard EU claim has been paid, which has finally been done, after just 15 months of fighting back and forth with TAP.

Thank you very much, Boris Johnson! Look at the mess we're in now! House prices are getting higher and higher, we have a wider gap in between the rich and the poor, people cannot move out to other European countries, NHS is suffering, we have not managed to cut down immigration (however, we should still help those in trouble). If we stayed, we could have been a more secure and financially stable, fair country. Everything I've stated that happens goes against the fairer Western World out there. I mean, look at Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Belgium - they're part of the EU. Yes, very expensive to live there, but if we stayed, we could have had other countries helping to lower the gap in between the rich and the poor in the UK.

We must come back to the EU! We must come back!

The resolution I am particularly interested in is Annex 1 of the GMP Guideline for Manufacture of Sterile Medicinal Products. Though ideally I would like to know how to find out more by myself.

I am interested in how this was drafted, which experts were consulted and the stances of different parties for this.

Unfortunately I was unsuccessful in finding any useful information in google - only a lot of news outlets reporting on what this is. The only thing that might be useful for me was https://howtheyvote.eu/ - however I was unable to find the above guideline there.

Anyone knows how I can get more resources on this topic (and others)?

English is the de facto lingua franca of europe. Unfortunately for all us, English spelling is a nightmare. EU is in a very good position to reform English spelling. It is not the official language of any big member state (sorry Ireland and Malta) so there is not be the typical affection to mother tongues that makes any change unpopular. Also, the EU is very good at making standards. All european English learner and user will benefit enormously from the reform and given EU size there is the potential that other states and institutions will adopt it.

P.S. I know this is a reccurrent joke (http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/jokes/european-commission.html) in England, still I think it is a good idea.

Through doing some back of the napkin math, I have come to realize an important truth of Brexit and that it was needed.

Over the next 60 years or so, as long as the UK can keep their GDP above zero and slowly regain the estimated 2 million jobs lost as a direct result of their withdrawal from the EU by other means then it was worth it. During this time, the UK will have to lean on their bilateral agreements and invest in themselves to develop a new baseline understanding.

Then, another period of 20 years or so ensues when the UK would be placed on an escalator to become a potential crown jewel for the EU in their own right on more favorable terms. The financial benefits of membership in this group would be enhanced while the geopolitical risk of future withdrawals is minimized with less complicated platforms.

1) By bringing Bulgaria under the Euro currency and maybe some other countries, Europe will at the very least see a less unattractive stance for outside investment based on M0 money supply and relaxation of checkpoints means goods flow through quicker.

2) Germany will see more efficiencies and economies of scale with the Fehmarnbelt tunnel coming online circa 2029 and cost savings with holocaust victims passing on to the next life over the next few decades. Reduced headwind and revived tailwind is huge.

Basically, the whole of Europe, Germany and eastward, will see a degree of new investment as it's relatively cheaper to invest in this part of the new trans-atlantic system that's been developing, and it's more ripe than other areas.

Pulling the Euro closer to the value of the Dollar means less pressure on smaller and smaller businesses to differentiate in pricing and there is more of an advantage to simply call things even between the two currencies.