european magazine
EU Commissioner Jourova insists that tech giants live up to their responsibility and stop hate speech on their platforms. Corresponding EU laws must be adhered to – including by Trump fan Musk.
ARD: After ten years in office, you will soon be leaving Brussels and ending your time with a rather dramatic statement. You recently said that you are “truly afraid of digital platforms in the wrong hands” and you went so far as to call Elon Musk, the head of X (formerly Twitter), a “promoter of evil.” Strong words. Can you explain why you said that?
Vera Jourova: The managers of the platforms are very, very powerful people who can influence the public opinion of Europeans. They do big business in the member states of the European Union.
Therefore, I believe that their great power should be balanced by responsibility. That was my message, that all the other major platforms are trying to do something about hate and hate speech, which is not the case with Platform X, that's why I said that.
ARD: What can the EU even do to enforce its rules against such powerful tech bosses?
Jourova: We take the approach of enforcing the so-called Digital Services Act. All of the obligations of digital platforms are described very clearly in this law and they must also be adhered to. That's why Mr. Musk's declarations that he won't comply with European laws are quite tiring, I must say.
I had a lot of discussions with the digital bosses, if I may call them that, in which I explained to them why such laws exist in the EU: certain statements are clearly prohibited by law in the member states. I explain European history to them. I could even say the European soul.
To person
The Czech politician Vera Jourova has been Vice President of the EU Commission and Commissioner for Values and Transparency since 2019. From 2014 to 2019 she was EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumer Protection and Equality. In her current position, Jourova is, among other things, responsible for the proceedings against Hungary for violating fundamental EU values. With the confirmation of the new commission, Juorova leaves office.
“A law must be enforced”
ARD: Do you really believe that the EU has enough regulatory instruments?
Vera Jourova: You're right. If the law is to serve its purpose, it must be enforced. The commission has the capacity, has experts, and has technical means to look into the system of the large platforms and identify the grievances.
“We have to give it some time”
ARD: What do you recommend to the next commission and where should it sharpen things up?
Jourova: I think it is a clear task for the future Commission to continue the processes that have been started. There are multiple platforms, not just X, also TikTok and Meta. I think we need to give it some time to see results.
ARD: Do you really think that companies can be hit hard?
Jourova: We have already had experience with the penalties imposed by the EU Data Protection Regulation. That's really the money that such platforms could be missing.
“Humanitarian law speaks clearly”
ARD: Commissioner, the new Polish government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk is much more Europe-friendly than the previous government. Nevertheless, she refused to implement European asylum laws. Are there good and bad reasons to ignore common EU law?
Jourova: I think there will be a lot of discussion about this. Our position has always been that we must do much more to protect our external border. But we cannot simply ignore international humanitarian law, which states that people fleeing war zones must be granted asylum according to national rules.
Mr Tusk has said clearly that this is part of it. It is up to Member States to decide who receives asylum on their territory. But at the same time, humanitarian law speaks clearly.
We are increasingly seeing that illegal migration, the large number of people coming to Europe, can threaten security. At least that's the impression.
That is why I think that Mr Tusk, especially once he takes over the presidency of the European Council, will bring these arguments to the table of European leaders.
“If you don't understand values, you might understand money”
ARD: On the subject of the rule of law: You were already pretty angry in 2020, describing Hungary as a “sick democracy” and getting a lot of headwind. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban even pushed for her resignation as Commissioner. Why is it so difficult for the EU to enforce its rules against some member states?
Jourova: If the democratic system lacks some very basic elements such as an independent media or an independent judiciary, then we cannot speak of a healthy democracy.
I said that if you don't understand values, you might understand money. With the first financial sanction under the so-called conditionality mechanism, the Hungarian government has started to move.
“Even in international Space that promotes fundamental rights”
ARD: International alliances such as the BRICS become attractive to certain countries because these alliances do not prioritize human rights and the rule of law. So how can the EU successfully compete with these alliances without lowering its own standards?
Jourova: We represent the democratic part of the world. That is why we as a democratic area, as the countries that promote fundamental rights, must also do this in our international politics and in development aid to third countries.
I am therefore sure that the new Commission and the new EU, with the new mandate, will strive to work with third countries while promoting values. I think this is essential, otherwise we would lose our European face.
The interview was conducted by Tina Hassel, ARD studio Brussels. You can also see more on the topic in the Europamagazin – on Sunday at 12.45 p.m. on Erste.
