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 […]
EU-UK: Joint Committee adopts the practical arrangements of the Windsor Framework
The tenth meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee and the second meeting of the EU-UK Association Council were held in London, where the Joint Committee adopted a decision setting out the practical arrangements for the Windsor Framework. Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, representing the European Union, and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, representing the United Kingdom, took […]
The European Commission introduces the “Right to repair”, making it simple and attractive
The European Commission introduces the “Right to repair”, making it simple and attractive. The European Commission adopted a new proposal on common rules promoting the repair of goods, which will result in savings for consumers and support the objectives of the European Green Deal by reducing waste, among others. Over the last decades, replacement has often been […]
European Commission proposes common criteria against greenwashing and misleading environmental claims
On 22 March, the Commission proposed common standards against money laundering and misleading environmental claims. Under the proposed proposals, consumers will have greater clarity and confidence that when something is marketed as organic, choosing environmentally friendly products and services is an authentic message of better quality. Businesses will also benefit, as consumers will be able […]