Eurotopics.net

The plans for a reform of the European asylum system could take concrete form at a meeting of EU interior ministers today. The proposals under discussion are, however, highly contentious: they envisage even stricter rules on migrants without real prospects of staying and mandatory solidarity with the overstretched states on the EU's external borders - either through refugee admissions or financial compensation.

Europe wants lead the way in the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and is coming ever closer to its goal: the corresponding European Parliament committees have endorsed an amended version of the EU Commission's Artificial Intelligence Act, which includes a ban on face and emotion recognition systems. It will now be discussed in the European Parliament at the beginning of next week.

The EU is cranking up the pressure on Poland over the rule of law. On Wednesday Brussels launched an infringement procedure against the country over the government's new law on Russian influence. Shortly before that the European Court of Justice ruled that Poland's 2019 judicial reform violated EU law on judges' independence and privacy rights.

After almost 10 months with an interim government, Bulgaria now has a regular cabinet once more. An coalition between the two pro-Western but hitherto irreconcilable parties Gerb-SDS and PP-DB has chosen Nikolay Denkov (PP-DB) as prime minister. In nine months' time he will be succeeded by former EU Commissioner Maria Gabriel (Gerb), who will be foreign minister in the meantime.

The Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River has been destroyed, dramatically changing the situation on the front line in Ukraine. While in the area below the dam tens of thousands of people have to be evacuated to escape the flooding, above it the reservoir that also provides the water to cool the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station is emptying. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of blowing up the dam. Europe's press examines the repercussions and potential motives.