We built technology to make life easier. Somewhere along the way, it began remaking us instead. From algorithms shaping what we see to surveillance tools reshaping how we live, Europe now stands at a crossroads: protect democratic values or watch them be coded away.

The EU on Wednesday promised to save business a further €1bn per year by stripping down more environmental reporting standards. Among the changes, reforms will exempt more than 38,000 farms from having to report on energy and water use, while companies manufacturing plastics and electronics will no longer be held responsible for what happens to them after consumers get rid of them. 

The EU is looking to Australia’s new social media ban for how it could precede with its own initiative to block teens from the adverse effects of the internet. But one digital rights group urged policymakers "to reject the seductive simplicity of age bans.”

EU states are struggling with upcoming border rules that critics say could led to detention-like centres. Under the new regime authorities will have only seven days to screen a prospective asylum seeker.

Today, we kick off an anniversary campaign to convince new supporting members to join EUobserver's mission of providing the information citizens need to safeguard EU democracy.

Russian spies are still active in the EU capital and have a "higher risk appetite" than before the Ukraine war — despite Belgium's efforts to push back against their plots.