23 June 2023

POLITICO: How to navigate Spain's EU presidency policy agenda like a pro

Spare a thought for Spanish diplomats in Brussels. They’re going to be working flat-out until Christmas.

Sweden has spent the last six months trying to process a huge pile of legislative files, many of which were proposed late by a European Commission distracted by COVID-19 and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Despite commendable progress, many of these files still need a lot of work before being passed into law. Look at the files we’ve laid out below, then look back at what we wrote six months ago, and you’ll see many of the same entries.

Spain’s turn leading the Council of the EU is the last full-length presidency before next year’s European Parliament election, which will take place from June 6-9; campaigning will eat away at legislative capacity for several weeks before that, leaving Belgium just a few short months to wrap everything up before a new Parliament and Commission reset the agenda.

Here’s a selection of the files weighing down Spain’s in-tray.

Grappling with the AI boom

Name of key legislation: Artificial Intelligence Act

Why it matters: The European Commission was ahead of the curve when it proposed the AI Act, one of the world’s first comprehensive AI rulebooks, in 2021. But the technology has since leapt forward, notably with the introduction of ChatGPT in late 2022, and there’s a sense of urgency in the EU about getting the Commission’s proposal passed into law. Spain itself is keen to play a role, and is poised to host the bloc’s first “AI sandbox” — a testbed for companies that want to make sure their product is compliant with regulation.

State of play: The Council agreed its approach in December and the European Parliament did the same on June 14. Both texts expanded the Commission’s already mammoth original proposal to add sections addressing the rise of general-purpose AI and generative models. The Spaniards, who singled out AI as their presidency’s biggest priority, are going to start three-way negotiations and are eager to finish them. 

EU fault lines:  One friction point will be the use of AI-aided facial recognition in public places: Lawmakers want an outright ban whereas governments want to restrict it. The definition of what exactly qualifies as “high risk” AI might also be a snag.

Likely progress:

Everyone wants the AI Act to be done with, and Spain will act as a powerful cheerleader. Still, disagreements between the European Parliament and member countries, particularly over the vexed question of facial recognition, can’t be discounted entirely.  ...

 much more at POLITICO

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