Lena-Maria Böswald in The Parliament's series "What will make or break the EU in 2026?"

The Parliament brought together expert voices to discuss the challenges, risks, and opportunities facing Europe in the year ahead. Senior Policy Researcher Lena-Maria Böswald warns that the growing politicization of platform regulation is turning the issue into a geopolitical proxy battle between EU regulators and predominantly US-based tech platforms, obscuring the fundamental purpose of the regulations: protecting everyday internet users. Böswald also pointed to Australia, Brazil, and the UK as potential unexpected allies for Europe, with the potential to converge around a shared policy object, i.e., minor safety online.