The Belgian presidency of the Council and representatives of the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement to add forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy as types of exploitation covered by the EU’s anti-trafficking law. The update of the directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings will also require EU countries to make sure […]
MEPs vote to speed up the freezing and confiscation of criminal assets
The new legislation on seizing criminal assets would ensure fast and efficient freezing operations everywhere in the EU, and quicker compensation for victims. To speed up asset freezing and confiscations and close loopholes, MEPs on the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee adopted on Tuesday a draft position on new rules with 50 votes […]
Final vote on the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act
On Tuesday, Parliament held the final vote on the new Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA), following a deal reached between Parliament and Council on 23 April and 24 March respectively. The two bills aim to address the societal and economic effects of the tech industry by setting clear standards for how they operate and […]
Commission antitrust rules
The European Commission has launched a call for evidence and a public consultation inviting feedback on the performance of the EU Regulations which lay out the procedures for the application of EU competition rules (Regulation 1/2003 and Regulation 773/2004). Interested parties can respond to the public consultation for 14 weeks, until 6 October 2022. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge […]
Council adopts legislation entrusting new tasks to the Europol
On 24 May, the Council adopted a regulation amending the Europol Regulation. The text should be published in the Official Journal and enter into force before the end of June. Europol is an EU agency that plays a crucial role in police cooperation. On the basis of the Commission proposal, the European Parliament and the […]
European environmental liability standards under review
MEPs want to strengthen existing EU rules on companies’ environmental liability to reduce and prevent environment harm. In order to enforce implementation and increase citizens’ trust in EU rules, and to prevent and remedy environmental damage more effectively, Parliament demands that the Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) and the Environmental Crime Directive (ECD) be improved. Recommendations […]
Data Protection requirements must go hand in hand with the prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing
In its Opinion, the EDPS reacted to the European Commission’s action plan for a comprehensive Union policy on preventing money laundering and terrorism financing (C(2020)2800 final), published on 7 May 2020. The EDPS believes that the Commission should make data protection a golden standard in the context of AML/CFT compliance processes. The EDPS highlights the importance […]
General Data Protection Regulation: one year on
On 25 May 2019, the General Data Protection Regulation will celebrate its first year of entry into application. To mark the occasion, Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market and Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, issued the following statement: “25 May marks the anniversary of Europe’s new data protection rules, […]
Secure ID cards and residence documents: Commission welcomes Parliament’s vote
The European Parliament voted on a new Regulation, which will strengthen the security of identity cards and residence documents throughout the European Union. The weak security features of ID cards in some Member States, still issuing paper ID cards, represent a serious security risk, as they can easily be falsified and could be used by […]