To support clean, safer, and modern shipping in the EU, today the Council adopted four new pieces of legislation of the so-called ‘maritime safety’ legislative package, namely those amending the relevant directives on: the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector, ship-source pollution, compliance with flag state requirements, and port state control. The revised ‘package’ […]
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Commission and national authorities call on Apple to stop geo-blocking practices on Apple Media Services
Today, following a coordinated investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission notified Apple of several potentially prohibited geo-blocking practices that the CPC Network has identified on certain Apple Media Services, namely App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books and Podcasts. The network requested Apple […]
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Commission and national authorities urge Temu to respect EU consumer protection laws
Following a coordinated investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission notified the online marketplace Temu of a number of practices on its platform that infringe EU consumer law. The CPC Network directed Temu to bring those practices in line with consumer laws of the European […]
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European Investment Bank mobilised €900 to back recovery and reconstruction after floods in Spain
On 6th November, the European Investment Bank (EIB) activated financial instruments to back recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by the recent devastating floods in Spain. The EIB is putting together an initial €900 million response package to speed up the rollout of existing initiatives and thereby support the rebuilding of critical infrastructure by regional authorities […]
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What 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 […]
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EU adopts rules to better measure the environment’s contribution to the economy
On 5 November, the Council formally adopted the amended regulation on European environmental economic accounts, the EU’s common statistical system which brings together economic and environmental information. The new rules extend the scope of the European environmental economic accounts, introducing forest accounts, ecosystem accounts, and environmental subsidies accounts. The amended regulation aims to provide better information for the […]
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Council 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 […]
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Council reaches agreement on VAT package for the digital age
The Council reached agreement today on new measures to make EU VAT rules compatible with the digital age. This legislative package, with new rules on e-invoices and real-time data reporting and on business activities carried out through digital platforms, will combat tax fraud, support businesses and promote digitisation. Mihály Varga, Hungarian Minister of Finance, said: […]
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Growing EU trade of electric & hybrid cars
Between 2017 and 2023, EU trade of electric and hybrid cars increased substantially. In 2023, almost 43% of the total number of cars imported into the EU were electric or hybrid, indicating a significant increase compared with the share observed in 2017, which was 8%. EU exports jumped from 2% of the total number of cars exported in 2017 to 26% […]
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