We show how legal and policy developments in Europe affect your life, in the time you actually have.
Time flies, so we want to tie it down for you. Receive a curated story that travels through Europe and gives a clear, human-centred look at what connects Europeans today.
The most important news today
Advocate General Maciej Szpunar, a court adviser to the EU’s top court, says a chatbot may infringe press publishers’ rights. It depends on whether the chatbot bypassed a paywall and whether its answer reuses an article’s wording recognisably. The case pits Hungarian publisher Like Company against Google’s Gemini.
Why it matters for Europeans
It is the first generative AI case before the Court of Justice. The Advocate General says publishers do not own the news itself, only their wording, and that training chatbots on articles is generally allowed.
A package of three laws, the defence omnibus, sets a 42-working-day limit for defence project permits, and a permit not decided in time normally counts as granted. It also lets countries exempt defence chemicals from EU rules and simplifies defence procurement.
Why it matters for Europeans
Slow permits that differ by country hold back defence factories, small firms most. The permit rules apply to applications from 24 February 2027.
Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, and Spain coordinated a day of action in which 16 countries referred over 9,000 links to the services hosting them. The content promoted jihadist, right-wing, left-wing and anarchist violence across 47 social media and gaming platforms. It targeted groups using online role-playing.
Why it matters for Europeans
Europol says communities in video games recreate terrorist groups and attacks, and can grow into propaganda and recruitment efforts that reach young people. It follows a first such action day in 2025.
A Romanian court gave a man, now in the Netherlands, seven years for importing three grams of cannabis and four MDMA pills into Romania, which the Netherlands punishes with one to three weeks. The EU Court of Justice says the Dutch court cannot refuse Romania’s European arrest warrant over that gap alone.
Why it matters for Europeans
The ruling binds national courts across the EU. Refusal stays possible only if the issuing country’s law allows inhuman penalties or bars judges from weighing the offence, which Romania’s does not. So countries keep wide room on penalties, with a human-rights limit.
The Programme for agile and rapid defence innovation (AGILE) gives small firms and start-ups EU funding to develop new defence technology and deliver it quickly to armed forces. It has €115 million and covers 2027 only. Ukraine can join without paying in.
Why it matters for Europeans
Small firms often invent useful technology but struggle to get it into service. AGILE ties its calls for proposals to the needs member states say they have.
The Tolerant is a digital media outlet that provides trustworthy journalism across Europe and highlights our shared values. We translate the complexity of EU legislation and policy to focus on personal stories and common interests that help Europeans understand one another across borders. As Europeans, we share founding values, but can we find them in today's Europe?
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