The Council has agreed its position on a new regulation that seeks to strengthen the EU’s resilience in the face of ongoing challenges to security of supply of critical medicines in Europe. The critical medicines act (CMA) aims to tackle shortages in key medicines such as antibiotics, insulin and painkillers by improving security of supply and availability in the […]
Child sexual abuse: Council reaches position on regulation to protect children from online abuse
The EU is stepping up its efforts to combat child sexual abuse. Representatives of the EU Member States agreed today on the Council’s position on a Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. Once adopted, the new regulation will establish obligations for digital companies to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material and […]
Commission registers European Citizens’ Initiative on passports design
Last November 25, the European Commission has registered the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘EU Stars On My Passport (STAR-PASS)’. The initiative invites the Commission ‘to facilitate the introduction by the EU Member States of an additional option for the cover design of passports, offered to citizens applying for a new passport’. The organisers of […]
Commission aims to ensure the implementation of EU Deforestation Regulation
The Commission is proposing targeted solutions to support companies, global stakeholders, third countries and Member States to ensure a smooth implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). With last October 21’s proposal, the Commission wants to make sure that the IT system is fully operational to address the EU’s contribution to the global challenge of deforestation. […]
Council agrees its position on rules to phase out Russian gas imports under REPowerEU
The Council today agreed on its negotiating position on the draft regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU’s REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy, following Russia’s weaponisation of gas supplies and repeated disruptions of gas supplies to the EU with significant effects on the European […]
Council approves simplification of EU carbon leakage instrument
The Council adopted on 29 September, as part of the so-called “Omnibus I” legislative package, a regulation simplifying and strengthening the EU’s Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (BAM). This Regulation aims to simplify the EU’s EU-ETS and introduce improvements to make compliance economically efficient. The main objective is to reduce the regulatory and administrative burden and […]
Council signs off regulation to reduce pollution from microplastics
Today, the Council adopted the regulation on preventing the loss of plastic pellets into the environment, following a provisional agreement with the European Parliament. The new regulation aims to reduce microplastic pollution by strengthening controls and management of plastic pellets, a key industrial raw material, throughout the supply chain. Main elements of the regulation The new rules focus on […]
Commission registers European Citizens’ Initiative on air passenger rights
Last July 16, the European Commission registered the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘Save your right, save your flight!’. The aim of the initiative is to call for the reversal of changes that undermine passenger’s rights and the preservation of the ‘current compensation eligibility thresholds’ for air passengers. Following a thorough legal analysis, the Commission […]
New EU rules to make the automotive sector more sustainable
On Monday, the Environment and Internal Market Committees adopted their proposals on new EU rules to cover the entire vehicle lifecycle, from design to final end-of-life treatment. The regulation would apply to cars and vans one year after its entry into force (five years for buses, heavy-duty vehicles, trailers, motorcycles, quads, mopeds and minicars). There […]