Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa.
Here are the three things to take away from today’s Europe Live blog:
French president Emmanuel Macron has promised to cut the red tape and streamline regulatory processes to lure AI and technology companies to Europe, saying France was uniquely positioned to offer the best of European talent, low-carbon energy, and access to the European single market (18:12, 18:24, 18:28, 18:38). Expect many of these issues to be picked up again on Tuesday, when he leads Day 2 of the summit with global leaders, including US vice-president JD Vance.
The Swedish prosecutor leading on the investigation into the Örebro shooting has confirmed this morning the identity of the perpetrator, reported as Rickard Andersson, a former student at Campus Risbergska. He was previously described by the Swedish media as a 35-year-old unemployed recluse with psychological problems (11:19). Most of this victims had an immigrant background, police have said (15:05), and a national minute of silence is planned for Tuesday (14:33).
EU and national leaders have protested against seemingly imminent US plans to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, with the bloc calling them “unlawful and economically counterproductive” (9:48, 9:54, 9:58, 13:00).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
See you again tomorrow, but until then… enjoy this montage:
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Europe, France back in the AI race, Macron declares, as he calls for 'more Europe'
Finally, Macron turns to adoption and acceleration of the technology, as he promises that France will move fast with its proposals in this area.
He declares Europe is (thanks to France obviously) “back in the race” with the US and China with the pledges of €109bn of investment, but calls for “more Europe” and a more coordinated European approach to AI.
It’s a wake up call for your European strategy. Tomorrow [European Commission] president Van der Leyen will announce the European AI strategy, and it will be a very important occasion.
This strategy will be a unique opportunity for Europe to accelerate, to simplify our regulations, to deepen the single market and to invest as well in computing capacities. We need more Europe, and we have to provide a bigger domestic market to all the startups when they start as Europeans.
He also calls for a more streamlined approach to “permitting, authorisation, clinical trials” to help with timing of investments.
“We will have more private investment, … more public investment, … new strategies, but most of the time we are too slow,” he says as he promises to follow “the Notre Dame de Paris strategy” with action for more permissive regulation.
“We [want to] show the rest of the world that when we commit to a clear timeline we can deliver. You decide, you streamline all the procedures, somebody is in charge, and you deliver,” he says.
“Long live the AI, long live the Republic, long live France,” he concludes the speech.
Updated
'Buy European' to help industry and ecosystem grow, Macron says
Macron also urges Europeans to “buy European” to support French and European companies.
Here is what he said:
Having more and more cooperation between our large corporat[ion]s and this innovation is very important, and this is why I do urge European players to buy European.
Not because we don’t want to buy American or Asian, I want to reassure you.
But guess what? When you are in the US and China or India, when you have a very good solution made at home, you prefer this one to the other one. And this is a good reflex. Having this ecosystem is very important.
Macron takes a swipe at Trump with 'plug, baby, plug' comment on energy
Macron says that France is uniquely positioned to work with American and Asian partners to manufacture chips in Europe and to service data centers in France with low carbon energy as it produces “more than what we use.”
I have a good friend in the other part of the ocean saying ‘drill, baby, drill’. Here there is no need to drill.
It’s ‘plug, baby, plug’. Electricity is available, you can plug [it in], it’s ready.
He also says that France has lots of talent as it trains 40,000 data specialists a year, and this number will go up to 100,000 a year.
AI will allow to 'go faster, to innovate, to disrupt,' Macron says
Speaking at the end of Day 1, Macron says he wants to make a case for investment in AI in France and Europe.
He says the summit focuses on using the AI as an “enabler for humanity to go faster, to innovate and to disrupt in health care, energy, mobility, public services.”
He also says the summit is a sign of belief “in this revolution and our capacity to work” together, with the US, China, India and the rest of the world.
He says that many topics from Day 1, including on regulation, will be picked up at the leaders’ summit on Tuesday.
Macron speaks at AI Action Summit
…and there he is!
French president Emmanuel Macron is now addressing the audience at the end of Day 1 of the AI Action Summit in Paris.
You can follow on video, but I will also bring you all the lines here.
Updated
AI scam targets senior Italian business people
Rome correspondent
Some of Italy’s best-known business leaders, including the fashion designer Giorgio Armani and the Prada chair, Patrizio Bertelli, have been targeted by an artificial intelligence-based scam that involved the mimicking of the defence minister’s voice in telephone calls claiming to seek help to free Italian journalists kidnapped in the Middle East.
Prosecutors in Milan have received four legal complaints, including from Massimo Moratti, the former owner of Inter Milan, and a member of the Beretta family, the world’s oldest producer of firearms. The defence minister, Guido Crosetto, on Monday said he would submit a legal complaint after his voice was cloned and used in at least one of the calls.
At least one of the targets is known to have fallen for the scam and was duped into making two transfers totalling €1m to an account in Hong Kong after falsely believing they would be reimbursed by the Bank of Italy.
Full story:
If you’re wondering where Emmanuel Macron is given he was due to start his speech at 5.30pm: well, it turns out he’s busy tweeting about his meetings with investors on the sidelines of the Paris summit.
“Investors love France! It is no coincidence that we are Europe’s leading destination for foreign investment, also in AI. The key: jobs and growth. Let’s keep going,” he says.
Les investisseurs aiment la France !
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 10, 2025
Ce n’est pas le fruit du hasard si nous sommes la première destination d’Europe pour les investissements étrangers, cela aussi en matière d’IA. À la clé : des emplois et de la croissance. On continue. pic.twitter.com/UnofXRSglM
So as we wait, let’s bring you a very relevant AI story from Italy…
France's Macron to speak at AI Action Summit in Paris soon
Back to Paris and the AI Action summit, French president Emmanuel Macron is expected to speak at some point within the next hour, at the conclusion of Day 1 debates and before he hosts global leaders tomorrow.
Earlier today, he met with Chinese vice premier Zhang Guoqing.
We will bring you the latest here.
Suspected Nice church attacker says he has 'no recollection' of fatal stabbings
Paris correspondent
A Tunisian man has gone on trial in France accused of fatally stabbing three people in a terrorist attack at a church in Nice.
Brahim Aouissaoui, 25, told the special court in Paris he had no recollection of the events of October 2020, when he allegedly almost decapitated a 60-year-old woman, stabbed another worshipper 24 times and slit the throat of a church worker with a kitchen knife – killing all three.
It took seven police officers to arrest Aouissaoui, who was shot several times. Afterwards, officers said he was carrying a copy of the Qur’an, three knives and two mobile phones.
The trial continues until 26 February.
Full story:
Kosovo faces uncertainty as ruling party fails to secure election majority
The governing party of the prime minister, Albin Kurti, is on track to secure the most seats in Kosovo’s parliament but will lack the numbers for a majority, the election commission has said.
Sunday’s vote pitted Kurti’s campaign to stamp out the influence of Serbia, more than 15 years after Kosovo declared independence, against the opposition’s vow to boost the economy in one of the poorest corners of Europe.
With 93% of votes counted and no party with a clear majority in the 120-seat parliament, analysts warned that Kosovo could be facing prolonged crisis, possibly ending with another election.
The rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus said they’re ready to take part in a UN-led gathering next month that could pave the way to a resumption of formal talks after an eight-year hiatus to resolve one of the world’s most intractable disputes, AP reports.
Cyprus has been split along ethnic lines for more than a half century. In 1974, Turkey invaded the island in the immediate wake of an Greek junta-backed coup mounted by supporters of union with Greece.
Numerous UN-sponsored rounds of peace talks ended in failure, the most recent being in 2017. After the collapse of those talks, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots opted out of reunifying Cyprus as a federation composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones — a framework that all previous negotiations had operated under.
Turkish Cypriots leader Ersin Tatar said that the meeting next month would take place on 17-18 March, but Cypriot government spokesperson Constantinos Letymbiotis said that the United Nations will confirm the exact dates in due course.
Most Örebro shooting victims had immigrant backgrounds, police says
Nordic correspondent
Most of the people killed by a gunman in the Swedish city of Örebro last week had an immigrant background, police have said, after the prime minister paid tribute to the victims as “people who wanted to do something good, who wanted to contribute to a better society”.
Among those understood to have been killed in Sweden’s deadliest mass shooting, which took place at an adult education centre on Tuesday, were two Syrian men, both refugees, an Eritrean woman, an Iranian woman and a female teacher from Kurdistan.
Niclas Hallgren, the deputy regional police chief for Bergslagen, told SVT: “Most of the victims in the school shooting had a foreign background. Ethnicity is a circumstance that the police have taken into account since early in the investigation when assessing a possible motive.”
He added: “It is too early to say that there is a specific reason behind the act.”
Full report:
Sweden to commemorate Örebro victims with minute of silence on Tuesday
Sweden will commemorate the victims of the Örebro mass shooting with a national minute of silence at midday on Tuesday.
Earlier during the day, flags will be flown at half mast.
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said he wanted “to honour the victims who never came home to their loved ones.”
Fears over AI's environmental, inequality impact dominate Paris summit
Global technology editor, in Paris
The impact of artificial intelligence on the environment and inequality has dominated the opening exchanges of a global summit in Paris attended by political leaders, tech executives and experts.
Emmanuel Macron’s AI envoy, Anne Bouverot, opened the two-day gathering at the Grand Palais in the heart of the French capital with a speech referring to the environmental impact of AI, which requires vast amounts of energy and resource to develop and operate.
“We know that AI can help mitigate climate change, but we also know that its current trajectory is unsustainable,” Bouverot said. Sustainable development of the technology would be on the agenda, she added.
Full report:
Romanian president to resign after cancelled election
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said he would resign following pressure for him to leave the post after a court last year cancelled the country’s presidential election.
When annulling the elections, Romania’s top court said Iohannis, whose second and last term expired in December last year, should stay on until his replacement is elected, after it voided the presidential ballot on suspicion of Russian interference.
Today’s decision follows a move by opposition parties to try to force his impeachment in parliament, although Romanian media noted that they did not have the majority required to pass their motion.
“In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from crisis... I resign from the office of president of Romania,” Iohannis said, adding that he would officially stand down on Wednesday, AFP reported.
He called the motion to impeach him “unfounded” and “damaging” to Romania’s reputation, and practically irrelevant given he was set to step down within months anyway.
The Romanian parliament will meet to discuss next steps on Tuesday, the country’s national press agency Agerpres reported.
The re-run of the presidential election is expected to take place in May.
Polish charity will get €120,000 for traditional regional breakfast with Polish PM Tusk
An anonymous bidder has pledged to pay a Polish charity almost €120,000 for a breakfast with Polish prime minister and former European Council president Donald Tusk.
The auction, supporting the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, ended earlier today with 37 bidders involved.
Tusk said last month he would host the winner at his office in Warsaw and serve a traditional Kashubian breakfast. The menu includes Kashubian-style herring (śledzie po kaszubsku), fluffy yeast-raised fritters (ruchanki) and scrambled eggs cooked with Baltic sprats (prażnica na bretlingach)
The GOCC, or WOŚP in Polish, is the organiser of one of the largest one-day charity fundraising events around the world with the money used to buy equipment for Poland’s healthcare system. During its 33rd finale last month, it collected a record-high €42.6m.
On Monday, Tusk was busy unveiling his government’s new economy plan, saying Poland planned to spend a “record” €155bn euros this year on investment to kickstart the central European country’s growth.
Tusk said that Poland would also aim to overtake the EU’s western powerhouse economies “who, until relatively recently, sometimes looked down on us a little.”
In particular, he said he wanted to attract foreign investment, adding he had held “advanced” talks with major tech companies Google, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft, AFP reported.
EU's von der Leyen to meet US vice-president JD Vance on Tuesday
In the last few minutes, the European Commission has confirmed that its president Ursula von der Leyen will meet US vice-president JD Vance during the AI Action Summit in Paris.
Asked directly about the meeting, Commission spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker said:
Indeed, the president will meet the vice-president of the US James David Vance tomorrow, and this will be in Paris.
I can confirm this meeting.
Feels like they will have a thing or two to discuss.
The day so far - lunchtime summary
SWEDEN: The Swedish prosecutor leading on the investigation into the Örebro shooting has confirmed this morning the identity of the perpetrator, reported as Rickard Andersson, a former student at Campus Risbergska. He was previously described by the Swedish media as a 35-year-old unemployed recluse with psychological problems (11:19).
FRANCE: French president Emmanuel Macron is hosting the AI Action Plan Summit in Paris as he hopes to start looking at closing the gap between the EU and the US and China (9:39). Later, he will be joined by leaders from over 80 countries, including US vice-president JD Vance, making his first European trip since inauguration last month.
EU: EU and national leaders have protested against US plans to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, with the bloc calling them “unlawful and economically counterproductive” (9:48, 9:54, 9:58).
GERMANY: Leading candidates to be the next German chancellor clashed in a televised debate last night, discussing a wide range of topics, including the rise of far-right, migration, and defence spending. Here is the summary of all you need to know (10:54) and our snap analysis (10:58). The debate comes less than two weeks before the election day, and amid heated protests across the country (11:03).
'Tariff conflict has only losers,' German economy minister warns
German economy minister Robert Habeck warned that “in the long term, a tariff conflict only has losers,” as he said the EU “must and can only react … in a united and determined manner” to any potential US tariffs as indicated by president Donald Trump.
“And we are prepared for that,” he said.
Habeck also spoke on the phone with EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, as well as with business groups, his ministry said in a press release.
Santorini tremors continue with 5.0 earthquake overnight
The Greek island of Santorini continues to be hit by earthquakes with further shocks – measuring 4.7 and 5 on the Richter scale – recorded over night.
Over the weekend, local authorities decided to keep schools shot for another weeks as experts cannot rule out stronger quakes.
Greek daily Kathimerini reported that over 13,000 of the island’s residents have left it amid prolonging uncertainty. Here is their piece looking at those affected (in Greek).
Earlier today, a religious procession took place on the island with faithful hoping for a quick resolution of the crisis.
Eurostar resumes direct Amsterdam - London connection
Good news for those of you passionate about travelling by train across Europe (and I may be partial here!): Eurostar has resumed its direct service between Amsterdam and London today after a break caused by renovation works at Amsterdam Centraal.
Since last summer, passengers had to disembark and go through passport control at Brussels-Midi in Belgium, because the works meant there was no space for passport and customs controls in Amsterdam.
From today, there will be three daily services on weekdays and Sundays, with two on Saturdays.
There will be another short break in April, with full capacity expected to be introduced from September, opening the way to further expansion of the connection by 2026.
And from Brussels and Amsterdam you can take a wide range of day and night trains in all sorts of directions for your summer holidays, too. Just saying!
Baltics join EU power grid as Lithuanian president says "good bye Russia, good bye Lenin"
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania successfully connected to the European power grid on Sunday after severing Soviet-era links with Russia’s network, AFP reports.
The three countries – former Soviet states that are now EU and NATO members – had been planning the switch for years, but Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine accelerated the process which is seen as critical for energy independence from Moscow.
In a symbolic video, Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda was seen receiving a phone call confirming the switch and responding by joking: Goodbye Russia, goodbye Lenin!
Goodbye, lenin pic.twitter.com/U8O36dbWQz
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) February 9, 2025
Senior representatives of the three nations, joined by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen Polish president Andrzej Duda, also took part in a rather amusing electronic music video light-and-sound ceremony marking the moment.
Baltic electricity synchronization with continental Europe is now a reality! pic.twitter.com/LgsoblFTuo
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) February 9, 2025
“The Baltic States are switching on energy independence. No more reliance on Russia. No more external control. From this moment on, you are fully connected to Europe,” von der Leyen said.
A total of €1.6bn euros – mostly EU funds – has been invested in the synchronisation project across the Baltic states and Poland, AFP noted.
Serbian student protests continue
Serbia’s striking university students have blocked a bridge in Belgrade and roads throughout the Balkan country to mark 100 days since the collapse of a concrete canopy at a rail station which killed 15 people, AP reports.
Hundreds of students blocked traffic on Sunday at a key bridge over the Sava River in the Serbian capital.
In another protest, in the northern city of Novi Sad, students launched three-hour blockades of several roads. In the southern city of Niš, traffic was halted at a pay toll station outside the city.
The blockades are part of a campaign led by the striking university students who are demanding justice over the Nov. 1 disaster at the train station in Novi Sad, which critics have blamed on government corruption.
“In 100 days, no one is accountable,” was written in red paint at one of the protest locations in Novi Sad.
Updated
As we wait for first news lines from Paris, let me bring you some further updates from around Europe covering what happened over the weekend.
But be assured that I’m watching live streams from Paris too, so will bring you the latest here, too.
What German voters think?
Our Berlin correspondent Deborah Cole spoke with some German voters late last week to see what they make of the heating rhetoric and the rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland ahead of the federal election on 23 February.
Here’s what she saw and heard:
Lunchtime approached in Schkeuditz, a town near Leipzig airport, where many work at the giant DHL air cargo hub.
Local people picking up a bratwurst at the grill van on the neat market square stopped to chat with Bochmann and his campaign volunteers, who handed out anti-theft credit card sleeves emblazoned with the blue AfD logo featuring an eye-catching red swoosh. It was the only party present.
Bernd Ullrich, 72, said he had long voted for the CDU (Christian Democrats), Merz’s party, after the Berlin Wall fell but turned to the AfD for its anti-immigrant stance.
“After reunification, we were proud of what we had achieved but now things are heading south and it’s all a result of [Angela] Merkel’s migration,” he said, referring to the former CDU chancellor’s decision a decade ago to leave the border open to more than 1 million people fleeing war and poverty. Merz has also blamed that policy for fuelling the AfD’s rise.
Read her report in full:
Sweden confirms Örebro shooter's identity as investigation into motives continue
The Swedish prosecutor leading on the investigation into the Örebro shooting has confirmed this morning the identity of the perpetrator as Rickard Andersson, a former student at Campus Risbergska.
He was previously described by the Swedish media as a 35-year-old unemployed recluse with psychological problems.
Eleven people died in the attack last Tuesday, including the attacker.
Five people are still being treated at the hospital, with two of them remaining in the intensive care unit.
Örebro police commander Henrik Dahlström said that that investigators were still working on establishing the motive behind the attack. “We cannot for the moment establish that a clear motive exists,” he told journalists.
Speaking to the nation on Sunday night, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said the country remained “in mourning.”
The 10 victims – seven women and three men aged between 28 and 68 – were of “multiple nationalities,” as previously confirmed by the investigators.
The prime minister acknowledged that “they came from different parts of the world and had different dreams.”
“They were at school to lay the foundations for a future that has now been taken away from them,” Kristersson said.
“There is only one Sweden. Not us and them. Not young or old. Not born here or born abroad”, he added, quoted by the AFP.
German protests – in pictures
… and those wide-spread protests in Germany they mentioned during the debate?
About 250,000 people took part in the largest demonstration in Munich on Saturday, just a week after 160,000 marched in Berlin to protest against the rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party.
The election is less than two weeks away, on 23 February.
German election debate - snap analysis
Berlin correspondent
As the dust settled on the first televised debate between German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the frontrunner, conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, pundits and polls concluded that the incumbent failed to land the knock-out punch needed to close the double-digit gap in support between their parties.
A viewer survey for ZDF public television, one of the debate’s broadcasters, found that Scholz with his feisty performance came away as the more credible (42% to 31%) and likeable (46% to 27%) candidate. “Merz managed to seem even more arrogant than Scholz,” observed Daniel Brössler in the daily Süddeutsche. The two men tied at 36% when it came to expertise on the issues, in what many commentators called a particularly wonky night.
The often ill-tempered head-to-head (“How dumb can one be?” Scholz asked Merz, attacking his plan to undermine the EU migration deal with national measures) raises renewed doubts about how the CDU/CSU and the SPD could work together after the election -- still the most likely scenario for a ruling coalition.
The most fiery clash came right at the start, when Scholz and the moderators accused Merz of breaking his word on shunning cooperation with the AfD. Merz denied this and renewed his pledge never to collaborate with the far right. Scholz charged that Merz had lost credibility and some opinion polls back him up, even as the CDU stays fixed on +/-30%.
German election debate - summary
Since we mentioned last night’s German election debate between the current chancellor, SPD’s Olaf Scholz, and his most likely successor if the polls are to be believed, CDU’s Friedrich Merz, let’s take a quick look at what they talked about.
1. Cooperation with the far-right
SPD’s Scholz further pursued the line of attack against Merz, suggesting the CDU/CSU could be open to formally working with the far-right Alternative für Deutschland after the election.
“That is really my concern. I don’t want to pretend it isn’t,” he said, accusing the opponent of “breaking the taboo” by passing a non-binding motion on migration with AfD votes.
“I’d explicitly state we are not going to do that. There are worlds separating us with regards to Europe, Nato, Russia, America. There is no common denominator between CDU and AFD,” Merz replied. “There will be no cooperation,” he said.
Asked if he believed that, Scholz said: “I do not,” pointing to a recent vote on a parliamentary motion. “He broke his word, he broke the taboo. I am no longer certain [about his position on AfD],” he said.
2. Migration
The two also clashed on migration, with Merz saying he refuses to accept the government’s view that “nothing more could be done” after a recent spate of knife attacks involving migrants.
However, Scholz defended his record and said he was already pushing the boundaries of law with his reforms, including through the reintroduction of border controls.
He also repeated his attack that Merz’s proposals would violate the EU law, at one point asking, “why should we be so stupid” to break the rules with national measures, just after the bloc agreed to reform them along the lines proposed by Berlin.
CDU’s Merz was also asked about the political price of his vote with the AfD, with thousands of Germans taking to the streets to register their protest against the far-right.
“What really pains me that we are witnessing demonstrations in this country against the on the fight against the far right, but nobody thinks of the victims of the families and would take to the streets in support of them,” Merz replied.
3. Ukraine
Merz also cautioned against rushing Ukraine into Nato, saying the alliance “does not accept member who are currently in the war,” and saying it was a “medium term” target.
Asked about whether he believes that an end to the war may be near under Trump’s renewed push for talks, he said:
“Let’s wait and see what the proposals will be during the Munich Security Conference. Without America, it won’t work, but there must be no decision made over the heads of Ukrainians.”
Scholz insisted that Ukraine needed further support to put it in the strongest possible negotiation position. “I think it remains a very dangerous war in which we have to ensure ... that it does not escalate into a war between Russia and Nato,” he said.
On Ukraine’s membership of Nato, he said, “the option is there, but it is not happening any time soon,” and the focus should be on making sure Ukraine cannot be attacked again. He also insisted Ukrainian leaders must be involved in any talks.
The two also clashed over financing German defence expansion, with Scholz calling Merz’s suggestions of changing the debt break mechanism “ridiculous.”
Other topics
Scholz and Merz also talked about energy (with Merz calling the closure of nuclear plants “madness”), deindustrialisation, investment, tax, social security reforms, and how to deal with the “predictable unpredictability,” as Merz put it, of Donald Trump.
On coalition prospects, Merz said that “everyone who wants to govern with us will have to move towards the political centre” to tackle the rise of the AfD.
Scholz insisted that all parties “must do everything we can to ensure that the AfD is not in a [ruling] coalition.”
So, who won?
Erm, it’s difficult to say: analysts broadly described it as a “draw” between the two candidates. A poll by Wahlen and reported by Welt showed that 37% thought the incumbent came on top, with 34% pointing at Merz, and 29% saying there was no winner.
Interestingly, though, 47% of voters thought Scholz exceeded expectations in what was noticeably more aggressive and fierce outing from the chancellor. For Merz, the clear majority (61%) of voters said he performed as expected.
According to the poll, voters found Scholz more likable (46% to 27%) but judged their competence equally (36% each).
The election is on Sunday, 23 February.
What's on the AI Action Summit's agenda in Paris
Global technology editor
On safety versus opportunities:
I think the agenda is definitely different compared with the conference of Bletchley Park in 2023, safety isn’t at the forefront at all. The conference is split in sort of five themes, which are international governance, trust, innovation and culture, work and making AI work in the public interest. So it’s going to be, I think, a more positive summit in terms of its agenda.
I just think the issue of safety, it won’t go away, because safety in AI encapsulates a lot of things. It goes from biased outputs to it being used to create misinformation to systems evading control, which is a bit more of a medium to long term thing, I guess so it’ll still be there in the background. But I think this summit will is definitely going to focus on different issues.
On China:
I think the importance of China being involved in any discussions about a global effort on making sure that AI stays safe and is deployed responsibly, I think it underlines the fact that China really needs to be in those conversations. …
This is a time of geopolitical tension. We’ve seen Donald Trump has imposed tarrifs on China, and obviously there’s been retaliation from Beijing and in that sort of context, it’s difficult to imagine there being a willingness to down tools in one corner of this fight and collaborate over AI.
Listen to Dan’s comments in full in the latest episode of our Science Weekly podcast:
AI Action Summit in Paris under way
You can follow the latest in our live stream at the top and below.
I will bring you all the latest news lines here.
'Ready to act within one hour,' Germany's Scholz says about US tariffs
German chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke about the threat of US tariffs during last night’s televised debate with his main rival Friedrich Merz ahead of the federal election on 23 February.
He said the EU was “prepared” to respond and “ready to act within one hour,” but insisted that any reaction needs to be at the EU level, noting Germany’s particular vulnerability to any US tariffs.
This is what he said in full:
We’re prepared, obviously, with all diplomatic caution, but we’re ready to act within one hour as the European Union.
It’s important to say that our trade policy is an EU competence, and it’s one of the reasons why we should insist that we stick to these common rules with the EU.
If the US have tariff policy, then there’s going to be one export nation that is very much going to suffer from that, and that is Germany. This is why we have to ensure that there is solidarity with tariff policy,
‘Focus on China,’ Macron tells Trump in response to tariff threats
Looking at other EU responses, French president Emmanuel Macron also hit at Trump’s plans to impose tariffs against the EU.
Speaking in English to CNN, he said:
Is the European Union your first problem? No, I don’t think so. Your first problem is China, so you should focus on the first problem.
Europe is an ally for you. If you want Europe to be engaged on more investment, security, defence, if you want Europe to develop, which I think is in the interest of the US, you should not hurt European economies by threatening them with tariffs.
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot went further this morning, saying directly that the EU would counter in kind and retaliate against any tariffs imposed by the US.
“There is no hesitation when it comes to defending our interests,” he said in an interview with TF1.
No justification for 'unlawful and economically counterproductive' US tariffs, EU says
Responding to Trump’s comments on aluminium and steel tariffs overnight, the EU has just said that it had not received any official notification yet, but insisted there was no justification of any such move and it would be ready to respond if needed.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said:
We will not respond to broad announcements without details or written clarification. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on its exports. We will react to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified measures.
But they added:
In general: The imposition of tariffs would be unlawful and economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains the EU and U.S. established through transatlantic trade and investment.
Tariffs are essentially taxes. By imposing tariffs, the U.S. would be taxing its own citizens, raising costs for business, and fuelling inflation. Moreover, tariffs heighten economic uncertainty and disrupt the efficiency and integration of global markets.
Morning opening: AI, trade, and Ukraine set to dominate the week
Imagine you are a European leader. On your to-do list for this week, you have (at least) three issues:
How to navigate an almost existential discussion on how to deal with the rapid expansion of AI
How to avoid the looming threat of global trade wars
How to influence US plans to hold secret negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine
No pressure.
First, we are in Paris for Emmanuel Macron’s AI Action Summit.
What is at stake during the two-day meeting, starting today, is probably best captured on the front page of the French daily Libération this morning, with Emmanuel Macron desperately trying to catch up with the US and Chinese robots.
Speaking to the CNN last week, Macron said that Europe was “not in the race today,” and warned it was seriously “lagging behind” competitors.
So the Paris summit will be an opportunity for him to show France and Europe are serious about joining the AI race, and to have discussions with investors and global leaders about what’s next for the rapidly emerging technology. With the EU’s AI Act now in implementation, lots of questions still remain about the bloc’s approach to the technology’s development and regulation.
In total, Macron and his co-host Indian prime minister Narenda Modi will welcome about 80 leaders, including US vice-president JD Vance (in his first trip to Europe since inauguration), Chinese vice premier Zhang Gouqing as well as top execs such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
On Sunday, Macron announced €109bn of investment in AI in France in the coming years, expected to come from the United Arab Emirates, US and Canadian investment funds, and French companies. He said it was “the equivalent for France of what the US has announced with Stargate,” the $500-billion US scheme led by ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
Only last week, France’s Mistral AI also launched its AI assistant Le Chat – you can see the nod to its French roots there – which now tops the list of most popular apps in Europe.
Over the weekend, the president was keen to present himself as a fan of AI posting a video in which he appears, through the magic of deepfake technologies as a singer, an actor, a rapper and others. “It’s pretty well done, it made me laugh,” he said.
Bien joué… pic.twitter.com/zthA2zIBja
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 9, 2025
But it’s definitely not all laughs in Europe.
Last night, US president Donald Trump once again raised the prospect of imposing tariffs on all aluminium and steel imports, which would also hit the European Union. EU leaders will be frantically making calls this morning to figure out what it all means for them and how, and when, to respond.
Trump’s No.2 JD Vance will be in Europe most of this week, first attending the Paris summit, and later taking part in the Munich Security Conference in Germany, meaning there will be some scope for informal discussions behind the scenes.
But with their focus on putting America First, how much will Trump and Vance be willing to cut deals with the EU as they focus on their main aims of radically reshaping global trade and trying to bring to an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
It’s going to be lively. Buckle up.
It’s Monday, 10 February 2025, and this is Europe live. It’s Jakub Krupa here.
Good morning.
