New product liability rules have entered into force, reflecting the increasing digital features of products and the growing circular economy. The EU’s product liability regime was established in 1985 to compensate those who have suffered physical injury or property damage due to a defective product. Since then, technological developments, new circular economy business models and ever-more […]
Read MoreWhat are goods and services used for in the EU?
In 2022, the EU produced €31 674 billion worth of goods and services, while imports from outside the EU (excluding intra-EU trade) were valued at €3 106 billion Nearly half (48.7%) of these goods and services were used for intermediate consumption, meaning they were used to make other products. Another considerable share, 31.2%, was used for final consumption, typically by householdsor the government […]
Read MoreCouncil adopts law for clean and smart construction products
The Council has adopted the construction products regulation (CPR), which harmonises the EU rules for marketing of those products, facilitates their free movement in the single market, reduces administrative burdens and promotes the circular economy and technological development in that sector. This is the last step in the decision-making procedure. The CPR updates the existing […]
Read MoreEU imposes duties on unfairly subsidised electric vehicles from China
Today the European Commission concluded its anti-subsidy investigation by imposing definitive countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China for a period of five years. As previously disclosed, the investigation found that the BEV value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidization which is causing threat of economic injury to EU producers of BEVs. As […]
Read MoreEU boosts European AI developers with the AI Factories call for proposals
Today, the Commission has launched a call for setting up AI Factories to boost European leadership in trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). AI Factories will be created around the EU’s world-class network of European High-Performance Computing (HPC) supercomputers and will be available to a range of European users, such as startups, industry and researchers. President of the Commission, […]
Read MoreMore than 27 000 unitary patents registered in the first successful year of the unitary patent system
Over the first successful year of application of the Unitary Patent system, the European Patent Office (EPO) has already registered more than 27,000 unitary patents. This means that on average, almost one in four (23%) granted European patents apply across all participating Member States. This rate is also steadily increasing. The uptake rate reaches almost […]
Read MoreEuropean Critical Raw Materials Act: law to ensure access to a diversified, affordable and sustainable supply enters into force
The European Critical Raw Materials Act entries into force, which aims at ensuring a diverse, secure, and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for the EU’s industry. Secured access to critical raw materials is essential for strategic sectors including clean technologies, digital, defence and aerospace industries. Europe now has a regulatory framework to strengthen domestic […]
Read MoreCouncil position on increasing the safety level of toys
The Council has adopted its position (negotiating mandate) on the toy safety regulation that updates the rules to protect children from risks related to the use of toys. While the current legislation makes EU toy safety rules among the strictest in the world, the proposed legislation aims to increase protection from harmful chemicals (e.g. endocrine […]
Read MoreCommission designates Shein as Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act
The Commission has formally designated Shein as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Shein is a fashion online retailer with an average of more than 45 million monthly users in the European Union. This user number, which Shein has communicated to the Commission, is above the DSA threshold for designation as […]
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