The European Commission has adopted a number of measures to further simplify its merger review procedures under the EU Merger Regulation. The package of measures includes: (i) a revised version of the Merger Implementing Regulation (“Implementing Regulation”), (ii) a Notice on simplified procedure (“Procedural Notice”), and (iii) a Notice on the transmission of documents (“Notice […]
Commission takes action to promote work-life balance in Spain and other EU countries
To safeguard the right to work-life balance across Member States, the European Commission decided to continue infringement procedures against Belgium Czechia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Austria, and Slovenia by sending them a reasoned opinion for failing to notify national measures fully transposing EU rules establishing rights on work-life balance for parents and […]
The European Commission adopted a proposal to adjust and further strengthen the current crisis management framework for banks
On 18 April, the European Commission adopted a proposal to adapt and further strengthen the existing EU system of bank crisis management and deposit insurance, with a special focus on small and medium-sized banks. The EU banking sector, which has a strong crisis management system, has become more resilient in recent years. EU financial institutions […]
European Commission launches “Save the bees and farmers!” initiative
The Commission is responding to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment”. The Commission welcomes the initiative and acknowledges the importance of the ECI, in particular as the interlinked crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss constitute growing challenges for Europe’s agriculture and food […]
The European Commission will investigate the proposed creation of a company by Orange and MásMóvil
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation under the EU Merger Regulation to assess the proposed creation of a joint venture between Orange and Más Móvil. The Commission has concerns that this venture could reduce competition in the retail marketing of mobile and fixed broadband services and in the offer of multiple service packages […]
The European Commission proposes rules on the transfer of criminal proceedings between Member States in the face of increasing cross-border crime
Increasing cross-border crime has led to more and more cases where several Member States have jurisdiction to prosecute the same case. Parallel or multiple prosecutions can be inefficient and ineffective, but also possibly detrimental to the rights of the individuals concerned as a person may not be prosecuted or punished for the same offence twice. […]
Commission paves the way to improve the movement of mobile machinery on public roads across the EU
On 30 March, the Commission proposed a regulation to facilitate the use of non-road mobile machinery such as cranes, harvesters, forklift trucks and snow ploughs. These rules will eventually replace the various regulatory regimes that currently exist in the Member States. As the new rules will harmonise the technical requirements for the type-approval of off-road […]
European Council adopts regulation on CO2 emissions from new passenger cars and vans
‘Fit for 55’: The new rules aim to reduce emissions from road transport that has the highest share of emissions from transport – and provide the right push for the automotive industry to shift towards zero-emission mobility while ensuring continued innovation in the industry. The new rules set the following targets: 55% CO2 emission reductions for […]
European Commission publishes regional competitiveness index: Spanish regions improve their performance
On 27 March, the European Commission published the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI), a completely revised version of a tool long used to measure different dimensions of competitiveness in EU regions. The fully revised RCI 2.0 shows that large disparities persist between EU regions, but it also shows that the competitiveness of less developed regions has […]