French National Assembly

Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral, warned the French National Assembly that Europe must build its own AI infrastructure within two years to avoid dependency on U.S. technology. The U.S. temporarily restricted access to Anthropic's Mythos AI model, highlighting risks of foreign control over critical AI systems. Mistral is positioned as a potential European alternative but faces challenges in U.S. chip dependencies and competitiveness against leading global AI models.

France’s parliament approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first European country to implement such a restriction. The ban will take effect in two stages, starting with new accounts in September 2024 and existing accounts in January 2027. Exceptions include educational platforms, and no penalties are imposed on children or parents.

French lawmakers reached a compromise on a bill banning social media for children under 15, aiming to implement it by the September school year. The amended bill addresses EU law compatibility concerns and includes exceptions for educational platforms. President Emmanuel Macron supports the measure, which also bans mobile phones in high schools.

France's National Assembly approved legislation to formalize a 2023 border agreement with the Netherlands on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, resolving a 400-year-old dispute. The treaty establishes legal clarity for an open border between EU territory (France) and the Netherlands' self-governing country (Sint Maarten), which emerged from an 1648 division of the island. Hurricane Irma in 2017 accelerated the resolution of recurring disputes over permits, law enforcement, and environmental management.

The French National Assembly is set to vote on adopting a controversial assisted dying law championed by President Emmanuel Macron, despite opposition from critics.