The European Commission has lost access to its control panel for buying and tracking ads on Elon Musk’s X — after fining the social media platform €120 million for violating EU transparency rules. “Your ad account has been terminated,” X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, wrote on the platform early Sunday. Bier accused the EU executive of trying to amplify its own social media post about the fine on X by trying “to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach.” The Commission fined X on Thursday for breaching the EU’s rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to limit the spread of illegal content. The breaches included a lack of transparency around X’s advertising library and the company’s decision to change its trademark blue checkmark from a means of verification to a “deceptive” paid feature. “The irony of your announcement,” Bier said. “X believes everyone should have an equal voice on our platform. However, it seems you believe that the rules should not apply to your account.” Trump administration has criticized the DSA and the Digital Markets Act, which prevent large online platforms, such as Google, Amazon and Meta, from overextending their online empires. The White House has accused the rules of discriminating against U.S. companies, and the fine will likely amplify transatlantic trade tensions. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has already threatened to keep 50 percent tariffs on European exports of steel and aluminum unless the EU loosens its digital rules. U.S. Vice President JD Vance blasted Brussels’ action, describing the fine as a response for “not engaging in censorship” — a notion the Commission has dismissed. “The DSA is having not to do with censorship,” said the EU’s tech czar, Henna Virkkunen, told reporters on Thursday. “This decision is about the transparency of X.”

The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas issued a stark statement on Thursday on behalf of the European Union condemning the ongoing atrocities committed by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group following their seizure of the Sudanese city of El Fasher. Kallas cited the “deliberate targeting of civilians, ethnically motivated killings, systematic sexual and gender-based violence, starvation” and the denial of humanitarian aid as breaches of international law. “Such acts may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” she said. She went on to announce sanctions on Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, deputy leader of the RSF, and signaled the EU’s readiness to target other actors destabilizing Sudan. Kallas also called for all parties to resume ceasefire negotiations and ensure humanitarian access and safe passage for civilians. The statement comes amid escalating violence in western Darfur and other regions in Sudan. Human rights groups and witnesses report that the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher, which has a population of 252,000, in late October involved mass killings, kidnappings and widespread sexual violence. On Wednesday, United Nations humanitarian aid chief Tom Fletcher, returning from Sudan, described the Darfur region as “an absolute horror show,” saying El Fasher has been turned into “a crime scene.” The country has been engulfed in a civil war for more than two and a half years between the Sudanese Armed Forces, loyal to the government in Khartoum, and the paramilitary RSF group. The United Nations has previously blamed the RSF for ethnic massacres and mass displacement, leading to famine and accusations of genocide in Darfur. The country has been engulfed in a civil war for more than two and a half years between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF group. | AFP/Getty Images The Sudanese ambassador to the EU told POLITICO this week that European-made weapons are fueling atrocities, and called on EU countries to halt arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, which a U.N. panel earlier this year alleged is backing the RSF. A UAE government official told POLITICO that Abu Dhabi “categorically rejects any claims of providing any form of support to either warring party since the onset of the civil war,” adding it “condemns atrocities committed by both” sides in the conflict.

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through. What they sparred about: Grooming gangs. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch went toe-to-toe over whether the investigation into widespread child abuse was fit for purpose — or falling apart before it even started. Word of context: The government confirmed a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation would take place in June. Since then, four abuse survivors quit the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel over their treatment. Former senior social worker Annie Hudson also withdrew from a shortlist of potential inquiry chairs. No confidence: Badenoch said the four victims had “lost all confidence” and were “dismissed and contradicted” by ministers. “What’s the point in speaking up if we’re just going to be called liars,” the Tory leader asked on behalf of one victim. Starmer condemned it as one of the “worst scandals of our time” and said the door “will always be open” if they wanted to return. Bookmark this: The PM insisted the inquiry will “never be watered down, its scope will not change, and it will examine the ethnicity and religion of the offenders.” Starmer confirmed crossbench peer and government troubleshooter Louise Casey (mooted as a future cabinet secretary), who wrote the initial grooming gangs audit, would support the inquiry. War of words: The Tory leader asked why victims would return when “the government has engaged in a briefing war against survivors.” That strong accusation drew cries of “shame” from Labour backbenchers before Badenoch referenced another survivor, accusing Labour of creating a “toxic environment.” Pushing on: Starmer conceded there were still “hard yards” to be done to put survivors at the heart of the inquiry, given their “difficult experiences” and “wide range of views.” Nonetheless, the PM insisted, “I want to press on and get this right.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, Badenoch mentioned Starmer’s previous opposition to a national inquiry. “The victims don’t believe them,” she declared. “They don’t like it, but it’s true.” Of course: This sensitive and horrifying chapter in Britain’s history descended into a political knockabout. The PM mentioned work on reopening historic sexual abuse and mandatory reporting, which “fell on deaf ears” from the Tories. He should know: Starmer, often pejoratively labeled a lawyer by Badenoch, was asked why the inquiry wasn’t judge-led, given victims would prefer this, rather than a police officer or social worker chairing proceedings. The PM said judge-led inquiries were “often held back until the end of the criminal investigation,” which he wanted to run alongside the inquiry. Ministerial matters: But Badenoch suggested the chair was not the only problem. Quoting one victim, who accused Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips of lying (which Speaker Linsday Hoyle frowned upon), the Tory leader asked if the PM still had confidence in her. Starmer answered in the affirmative, saying she “has probably more experience than any other person in this House in dealing with violence against women and girls.” The Tories, you won’t be surprised to learn, want Phillips gone. Helpful backbench intervention of the week: Roz Savage, the, er, Lib Dem MP for South Cotswolds, initially made PMQs a bit easier for Starmer after the Political Pics X account snapped her question in a transparent folder heading into No 10 … on Tuesday. “There was a very, very serious breach of national security,” she joked. Keeping Starmer on his toes, Savage instead asked about digital ID and, aptly, the risk of data breaches. Totally unscientific scores on the doors: Starmer 7/10. Badenoch 6/10. Choosing a winner and a loser seems trivial given the main topic this week. Badenoch understandably used the victims’ departure to ask if the inquiry could fulfill its purpose. But the Tory leader’s political points lost the room, with the PM — just about — retaining authority with promises about the inquiry’s scope and remit. The survivors, on and off the panel, will hope those words translate into action.

BRUSSELS — An EU plan to sanction Israel’s government ministers and cut back on trade ties has been put on ice as a leading group of member countries believes it’s no longer necessary in light of the U.S.-brokered peace agreement to end the war in Gaza. The original push is now unlikely to find sufficient support at meetings of foreign ministers and EU leaders this month, according to four European diplomats, granted anonymity to speak to POLITICO about the closed-door talks. An agreement among all 27 capitals would be needed to impose the penalties, and despite growing pressure on the EU to act, the deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump has divided national governments on the way forward. Separate measures to restrict trade could be introduced with the backing of a smaller group of countries, but this too now looks unlikely, according to the diplomats. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her State of the Union address in September to announce she would move to blacklist “extremist ministers,” impose restrictions on violent West Bank settlers and pause bilateral payments to Israel. Those proposals are due to be discussed at a Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Oct. 20 and a summit of leaders in Brussels on Oct. 23. Despite that, draft documents reveal that no consensus has yet been achieved. In comments to POLITICO, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot — whose country has been pushing for a tougher stance on Israel — said it was “regrettable” the EU had taken more than two years to present measures. “The credibility of the EU’s foreign policy has been seriously shaken,” he said. “For many citizens, it is still difficult to understand why the EU is incapable of taking firm decisions.” Germany, Hungary and a handful of other delegations have consistently opposed the implementation of sanctions, even though there has been broad agreement at the political level and a joint EU declaration backing steps against settlers accused of human rights breaches. In the wake of the announcement that Hamas and Israel had “signed off on the first phase” of a pact to end the war, European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho this week hinted the bloc could change its stance. The sanctions were “proposed in a given context, and if the context changes, that could eventually lead to a change of the proposal,” she said. According to the diplomats who spoke to POLITICO, the Commission currently doesn’t intend to withdraw the plan even if the prospect of a lasting ceasefire has cast it into uncertainty.

The European Union wants to boost efforts to ban conversion therapy and tackle hate against LGBTQ+ people in the face of an increase in attacks against the community. Around one in four members of the LGBTQ+ community in the EU — including almost half of trans people — have been subjected to some form of conversion therapy, whether in the form of physical or sexual violence, verbal abuse or humiliation, according to data presented by the European Commission on Wednesday. Conversion therapy is the name given to any effort to change, modify or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender. These numbers are “shocking,” Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib said at a press conference. “This must stop.” Lahbib on Wednesday presented the LGBTIQ+ Strategy for 2026-2030 to combat growing attacks against members of the community. “It seems we are moving backwards,” she said, adding that this is a “worrying trend.” Half of EU countries currently have a national strategy for LGBTQ+ equality, and eight countries (Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain) have banned conversion therapy, with the Netherlands discussing following suit. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Supreme Court is considering overturning Colorado’s ban on the practice. As part of its new strategy, which is not legally binding, the Commission wants to focus on tackling hate speech against LGBTQ+ people, both online and offline, and will be coming up with a plan to combat cyberbullying. The Commission is also considering drawing up a law to harmonize the definition of online hate offenses. Several European countries have cracked down on the LGBTQ+ community. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico successfully pushed last month to enshrine into his country’s constitution that there are only two genders (male and female), and to ban surrogacy and adoption for same-sex couples. Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orbán, has been in a standoff with Brussels over a series of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and his unsuccessful attempt to ban this year’s Budapest Pride — an event that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. The EU’s top court is expected to rule soon on whether these actions violate EU law, but a recent legal opinion suggests that the court is likely to side with Brussels. “The Commission will not hesitate to take further action,” including going to court, to protect people’s rights, Lahbib said, adding that there are 10 ongoing infringement procedures against Hungary for violating EU fundamental rights. The Commission has also frozen €18 billion in EU funding for Hungary as a result of these breaches. “We don’t want to punish the citizens for the actions taken by their governments,” Lahbib said, adding that in the next EU long-term budget, she proposed that frozen funds for rule of law violations be directly redistributed to civil society organizations.

BRUSSELS ― The European Commission has partly rejected a Hungarian plan to unblock €545 million in frozen EU funds as tensions escalate again between Brussels and Budapest. Of that amount, Hungary will only receive €163.5 million in advance payments ― and even that can be clawed back by the Commission if they are deemed to be misspent. National capitals are increasingly frustrated with Hungarian right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over his threats to torpedo tougher sanctions on Russian energy and block Ukraine’s EU membership bid and a €140 billion EU loan to the war-torn country. These issues are taking center stage at an informal summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday, where leaders are discussing moving from unanimity to qualified majority voting precisely to overcome Orbán’s veto. Against this backdrop, the Commission is holding firm against releasing a significant part of the €18 billion in EU funds it has withheld from Hungary over breaches of academic freedoms and minority rights, among other deficiencies. As a workaround, the Hungarian government proposed moving €545 million from university schemes to “strategic” industrial projects, but the plan was not fully embraced by Brussels. “We are not disbursing any funding before the horizontal enabling conditions are fulfilled and for now they are not fulfilled,” said Commission spokesperson Maciej Berestecki, referring to the broad conditions that member countries must meet in order to receive EU funds. STRATEGIC PROJECTS Nevertheless, the EU executive decided last Thursday to release €163.5 million out of the €545 million as advance payments. In this instance the Commission was bound by its own rules, which compel it to put forward 30 percent of total funding for strategic projects including critical infrastructure and biotechnology. Releasing the entire amount would likely have triggered a backlash from the European Parliament and EU capitals ― especially those in Northern Europe, which are the most annoyed at Orbán’s antics. Given Hungary’s repeated threats to use its national veto to block some of the EU’s biggest initiatives, keeping most of the funds frozen gives Brussels more leverage to secure concessions on strategic files, said a Commission official with knowledge of the process who was granted anonymity to speak freely. The Commission’s official reason for keeping most of the €545 million blocked is that it fears Hungary could still siphon that cash toward universities. The Commission has repeatedly urged Budapest to restore academic freedoms in order to unblock the money stream. “The Commission considered that the horizontal enabling conditions can be fulfilled only if the universities run by so-called public interest trusts are clearly excluded from these new priorities, or the issues raised by the Commission in the past concerning the public interest trusts are resolved,” Berestecki wrote in a statement. Hungary’s request predates a midterm revamp of regional funding that makes it easier to reshuffle funding across different policy areas. Critics claim that Budapest will use this loophole to try to unblock other funding in the future.

The French and Swedish militaries will help fortify Copenhagen against aerial threats as European leaders converge on the city for two crunch summits this week. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced Monday his government had deployed “the Swedish Armed Forces to support Denmark with military anti-drone capabilities in connection with this week’s summits in Copenhagen,” including a specialized unit that will embed with the Danish military. Stockholm would also “lend a handful of powerful radar systems to Denmark for a period of time,” he added. Denmark was rattled by a wave of drone sightings at major airports and military air bases last week, disrupting air traffic and stranding thousands of passengers. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the airspace breaches amounted to “hybrid war” and hinted Russia was responsible. The incidents, which occurred ahead of Wednesday’s European Council meeting in Copenhagen to discuss defense and Ukraine, led the Danish authorities to take the dramatic step of closing the country’s airspace to civilian drones. France said Monday it had also sent its armed forces to shore up Copenhagen’s defenses. Paris deployed “35 personnel, a FENNEC helicopter, and active counter-drone assets” to Denmark “in response to the recent upsurge in unidentified drone flights in Danish airspace,” the French defense ministry said in a statement, adding the drones were a “serious threat.” In addition, a German frigate — the FSG Hamburg — arrived in Copenhagen over the weekend to assist with airspace surveillance. Along with Wednesday’s summit, Copenhagen will host the European Political Community on Thursday, bringing together leaders from across the continent.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned Thursday a “hybrid war” has started in Europe after waves of drones shut down Danish airspace this week. Danish authorities temporarily closed two major airports overnight Wednesday after drones were sighted in the skies, in what Copenhagen called a “hybrid attack” by a “professional actor,” with several other airports across the country reporting similar incidents. Copenhagen and Oslo airports were also shut down Monday due to drone incursions, forcing flights to be canceled and stranding thousands. The airspace breaches showed “we are at the beginning of a hybrid war against Europe,” Frederiksen said in an address to the nation posted on social media. “I think we are going to see more of it … We see the pattern, and it does not look good,” she added. Frederiksen said Danish authorities had yet to identify “who is behind the hybrid attacks against our airports and other critical infrastructure” but hinted the Kremlin was responsible. “We can at least state that there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europe’s security — and that is Russia,” she said. Europe has been rattled by a series of airspace incursions involving Russian jets and drones in recent weeks. Estonia and Poland convened NATO members for urgent talks after accusing Russia of violating their airspace in separate incidents. Moscow has denied responsibility for the Estonian incursion and said the Polish incident, which saw a swarm of drones cross into Polish airspace, was an accident. Just hours after Frederiksen’s address, Aalborg Airport in the country’s north was briefly closed for the second night in a row due to a suspected drone incursion. Frederiksen said she could not promise “no drones will cross the border” but added Copenhagen had “raised the alert level” and was stepping up its drone-repelling defenses. “This means that the defense and police will be more present with anti-drone capabilities around critical infrastructure in the coming time,” she said, adding Ukraine was providing expertise on combatting drones. Earlier this month, the Danish Defense Ministry announced it would purchase the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system for 58 billion Danish kroner (€7.7 billion), its largest arms purchase ever. Frederiksen ended her address by calling for Europe to ramp up defense spending. “That is why we are expanding the European defense industry, and that is why we are building up the defense industry in Denmark,” she said. “The events of recent days emphasize how important this is.”

Major Danish airports were briefly closed early Thursday after drones were spotted, as ongoing airspace breaches rattle Europe. Danish authorities responded overnight to drone sightings at Aalborg airport in the country’s north, along with airports at Billund, Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup further south, closing airspace and canceling flights. Aalborg’s airport reopened early Thursday morning and air traffic has resumed. Danish chief inspector Jesper Bøjgaard Madsen said he could not “comment on the purpose of the drones flying in the area,” nor “who the actor behind it is.” “If we get the opportunity, we will take down the drones,” he added. In another statement, Danish police in the country’s south said “several drones with lights were observed” at Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup, but it was not “possible to take down the drones or find the drone operators,” and those three airports were not closed. Skrydstrup is an air base and hosts Denmark’s fleets of F-16 and F-35 jets. Billund Airport, which is one of Denmark’s busiest cargo centers, was closed for about an hour after a drone sighting and quickly reopened, authorities said. Both Copenhagen and Oslo airports were shut down late Monday after drones were spotted in their airspace, forcing flights to be diverted or canceled and stranding thousands of passengers. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday she could not “rule out in any way that it is Russia” behind those drone incidents, calling it “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.” In recent weeks, Estonia and Poland convened NATO members for urgent talks after Russia was accused of violating their airspace in separate incidents. Moscow has denied responsibility for the Estonian incursion and said the Polish incident was an accident. At the United Nations this week, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft breaching their airspace.

PARIS — The French government has turned to national regulator Arcom to complain about a TikTok tan lines trend promoting hazardous sun exposure. A growing number of TikTok videos depict young girls giving tips on how to get halterneck tan lines, or “burn lines,” primarily through sun exposure. “These types of content, which are increasingly widespread, encourage dangerous behaviors that could seriously harm users’ health,” Health Minister Yannick Neuder and Digital Minister Clara Chappaz wrote in a letter to the national watchdog on Friday. The two officials called on Arcom — in coordination with the European Commission, which enforces the new content moderation rules for major platforms like TikTok — to ensure social media companies are meeting their obligations under the Digital Services Act. That includes protecting minors, evaluating and mitigating so-called systemic risks and being transparent about how their algorithms work. Paris urged the regulator to “compile a file to send to the appropriate coordinator and, if necessary, to collaborate with the European Commission services as part of a possible investigation.” This isn’t the first time the government has taken action. Back in April, Chappaz successfully called out TikTok over another trend dubbed “SkinnyTok” — an algorithm-driven content stream that promotes extreme thinness and potentially harmful eating habits. The Commission dialed up scrutiny of the platform, which has been under investigation for potential breaches of the DSA. TikTok ultimately banned the SkinnyTok hashtag amid pressure from regulators. Arcom and TikTok didn’t respond to POLITICO’s request for a comment.