Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
SECTORAL POLICIES................................................................................................. 4
Agriculture And Fisheries ................................................................................................................. 4
The European Parliament rejects Commissions proposal on seed regulation .............................................................. 4 The European Parliament proposes new rules on organic farming ............................................................................... 4
Transport .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Fourth Railway Package: the European Parliament votes in a tense climate .............................................................. 12 Road safety: the European Parliament makes eCall compulsory from 2015 ............................................................. 13 Public consultation on maritime consortia exemptions to antitrust rules ...................................................................... 13
Consumers ........................................................................................................................................ 15
The European Commission launches Consumer Awareness Campaign .................................................................... 15 National authorities adopted Common position to protect app-buyers ........................................................................ 15
International Trade.......................................................................................................................... 17
Progress in negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ...................................................................... 17
Taxation ........................................................................................................................................... 19
European Finance Ministers revitalize the debate on FTT .......................................................................................... 19
SECTORAL POLICIES
Agriculture And Fisheries
The European Parliament rejects Commissions proposal on seed regulation
On 11 March, the European Parliament in plenary session rejected a Commissions proposal for a regulation of plant reproductive materials (PRM) which aimed at consolidating and updating legislation on the production and making available on the market of PRM with a view to ensuring quality and information for users. Members of the European Parliament rejected it claiming the proposal was failing to simplify the rules and was not supporting enough innovation. They also feared that the regulation would give the Commission too much power and leave EU countries without any leeway to tailor the new rules to their needs. The Commission decided not to withdraw its proposal and is waiting for the vote in the Council of Ministers. If the Council supports the Parliaments rejection, the legislation process will end. As a consequence of this vote, the Parliaments Committee on the Environment (ENVI) decided later during the month to exclude seeds from the scope of another new regulation on official controls in the food chain in order to be coherent with the above-mentioned rejection of the regulation on plant reproductive materials. The text is now expected to be voted during the last plenary session of April.
April: Vote in the Parliament during the plenary session 16-17 June: Vote in the Council of Ministers
Strengthening rules on production and improving controls systems; Harmonizing the production rules in order to increase competition within and outside the Union;
Removing legal and administrative obstacles to developing organic farming in the EU.
20-21 March: EU Summit discuss climate and energy issues 22-25 May: EU Parliament elections June 2014: Review of progress towards meeting the 2020 energy efficiency target June 2014: EU Council discuss energy and climate issues September 2014: UN Climate Change Summit October: Commission presents final 2030 package December 2015: Paris Climate Change Summit
agreeing to settle the case with the Commission. Any person or firm affected by this anticompetitive behaviour may now bring the matter before the courts of the Member States and seek damages.
This case occurred in a context of a more global European approach to make it easier for victims of anti-competitive practices to obtain damages. The European Commission presented in June 2013 a draft Directive to cover this aspect of anticompetitive behaviours.
Financial Services
The European Parliament approves insurance mediation directive
On 26 February during a vote in plenary session, the European Parliament adopted a position on the review of the directive on insurance mediation, a reform proposed in July 2012 by the European Commission to increase the protection of policyholders by regulating insurance services selling practices. The Commissions proposal has faced opposition by Members of the European Parliament on two main aspects: The tying practice (the practice consisting in selling many insurance products in a package) was banned in the Commissions proposal for consumers protection reasons. Many MEPs (including the rapporteur) rejected this ban and supported instead new rules limiting this practice without banning it completely. According to the provisions adopted, consumers should have now the right to decide if they want to buy the different components separately or as part of a package and they should be fully informed about the prices and the risk profiles of the services. The range of products covered by the reform has also been increased: new requirements on transparency, conflict of interest and
information provision have been included in the draft Directive. Representatives of credit providers welcomed the vote while consumers organizations judged it insufficient even if they concede some improvement in the protection of consumers.
The European Parliament has now to find an agreement with the Council.
April: start of negotiation with the Council Mid 2014: possible final adoption of the directive
indicated in the list of ingredients of any commercialized product. MEPs considered that the 50% threshold required of nano-particles contained in an ingredient to classify it as nano is considered too low.
The European Consumers Organisation expressed satisfaction toward MEPs vote, stating that Commissions proposal would have limited consumers right to be informed about ingredients they consume.
April: vote in the Parliament during the plenary session April: start of the negotiations between the Council and the Commission
Promote health, prevent diseases, and foster supportive environments for healthy lifestyles; Protect citizens from serious cross-border health threats; Support public health capacity to build and to contribute to innovative, efcient and sustainable health systems; Facilitate access to better healthcare for Union citizens. and safer
supported project. This gure rises to 80% in case of specific joint actions. Access to funds will be facilitated by the creation of a single point of contact. Potential candidates for funding are national health authorities, as well as public and private bodies, international and non-governmental organizations. On 11 March, the regulation has been adopted by the Council. The publication of the annual work programme 2014 is expected by May.
The budget made available for the new Health Programme will be 449.4 million. This means an increase of more than 100 million compared to the last 2007-2013 programme. In most cases, the European Union will provide grants that will contribute for 60% of the costs of
decisions made by the regulatory authority in case of conflict will be binding. Member States will not be forced to improve infrastructures or to map their network. The only controversial point is that, from 2017, new buildings or those under major renovations must be high-speed-ready. The text has now to be formally approved by the Council of Ministers and by the European
Parliament during its plenary session in April. The new measures are expected to enter into force in 2016.
April: Parliaments formal adoption April-May: Council formal adoption 2016: entry into force
June: informal meeting between Justice Ministers Early 2015: expected agreement in the Trilogue
Transport
Fourth Railway Package: the European Parliament votes in a tense climate
On 26 February in plenary session, the European Parliament voted on the EU's fourth railway package, aimed at fully opening up rail to competition from 2019 by liberalising national passenger transport, the last segment still protected today. In reality, though, many provisions will continue to make it complicated for new players to enter the market. In December 2019, barriers will be removed and rail undertakings will have the opportunity to directly offer passenger transport services that compete with those of the incumbent railway companies. However, given the fact that most national lines are covered by public service contracts (representing 90% of national traffic), new players will have to wait until 2022 for new provisions to apply on tendering procedure to award public contracts. And even after that date, Member States will still be allowed to award direct contract: the obligation to launch tendering procedure will be compulsory only if the incumbent railway company does not fulfil a certain number of criteria such as punctuality, frequency of services, customer satisfaction or quality of rolling stock. The Parliament also confirmed its rejection of the separation between infrastructure manager and incumbent rail operator, much to the Commissions disappointment. With this vote, the European Commission considers that many MEPs have continued to protect traditional railway companies from competition and technical problems. MEPs were also subject to intense lobbying actions from Member States and incumbent railway companies. Some 2,600 rail workers from 17 countries also demonstrated, on 25 February in Strasbourg, ahead of the European Parliament's vote. Along with the measures on market liberalization, the Parliament also approved the technical simplification of the European rail, since there are currently over 11,000 different national technical and safety rules in each of the 28 member states, hampering competition and leading to excessive administrative costs.
March-April: Council of Ministers examine the package 13 June: Transport Ministers Council September: possible start for Trilogue negotiations December 2019: passenger transport liberalization December 2022: new rules for tendering procedure
Road safety: the European Parliament makes eCall compulsory from 2015
On 26 February, the European Parliament adopted a regulation to make compulsory from October 2015 onwards the installation in all new models of cars and light utility vehicles of an automatic dialling system for reporting road accidents, a device also known as eCall. The system automatically alerts emergency services to the exact location of an accident, using the emergency number 112. According to the European Commission's estimates, it could save almost 2,500 lives a year by allowing emergency services to reach accident scenes more rapidly. Some Members of the European Parliament also raised some concerns about the protection of privacy. MEPs consequently adopted some restrictions on information supplied in the event of an accident. According to the automobile industry, the deadline is very ambitious, as Member States will need to deploy public service answering points (PSAPs) to receive the call.
Before May: possible final adoption of the regulation 13 June: Transport Ministers Council October 2015: obligation to install eCall devices in all new models of cars
31 March: deadline for the public consultation Fall 2014: Commissions draft proposal presented April 2015: expiry date for current exemption April 2020: expiry date future exemption (if adopted)
CROSS-SECTORAL POLICIES
Competition
The European Commission modernizes the State-aid rule book
The European Commission is currently putting the finishing touch to its new framework for state aid rules to be presented in April. Since May 2012, the European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquin Almunia has launched a process of modernization of state aid rules with a view to focus on how the rules should apply to sectors that have traditionally been public but where private companies are increasingly active. Following preliminary works, the European Commissioner is now ready to defend key elements of new guidelines in the following areas: Energy and environmental state aid guidelines: the public consultation on draft guidelines ended on 14 February. With an increasing penetration and decreasing costs of renewable energy, the Commission wants state aid rules to gradually move to a more market friendly support of renewable energy in the form of market premiums or certificate schemes. Nine governments, (including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and United Kingdom) published in February a position paper to argue that the new rules on the funding mechanism for renewable energy and the opening-up of the national funding systems for other countries are too restrictive ; Research, development and innovation activities: the public consultation on draft guidelines ended on 17 February. The Commission seeks to offer Member States more possibilities to channel state aid towards boosting innovation and jobs, by clarifying conditions for subsidized pilot and demonstration projects, by facilitating the validation of technologies vital for the competitiveness and by creating a new category of aid for construction and upgrade of research infrastructure; Agriculture and forestry sectors: the Commission opened on 24 February a public consultation on draft new rules on State aids in the agriculture and forestry sectors and in rural areas. The new rules proposed should speed up procedures and significantly reduce the administrative burden for public authorities when dealing with State aids in the agriculture sector. These drafts are made public to inform institutions, public authorities, organisations, companies and citizens who can make comments by 24 March 2014. Aviation: the European Commission launched a public consultation in July 2013 and definitely adopted the guidelines on 20 February 2014. It frames State aid for investment in airport infrastructure, Operating aid to regional airports and Start-up aid to airlines to launch a new air route. In 2012 and 2013, the European Commission already adopted guidelines in the broadband sector, in risk finance management, in regional
aid and in the promotion of important projects of common European interest. The Commission has also invited opinions on whether settlements between tax authorities and individual companies can constitute state aid. The upcoming new framework will clarify key concept related to the notion of state aid with a view to
24 March: deadline for public consultation on agriculture and forestry April: presentation of the new framework
Consumers
The European Commission launches Consumer Awareness Campaign
On 14 March in Thessaloniki, took place the European Consumer Day. On the occasion the European Commissioner for Consumer Policies, Neven Mimica, announced the kick-off of the Consumer Awareness Campaign. The new consumer right directive will enter into force on 13 June giving to citizens key consumers rights: Right to return products within 2 weeks; Right to have defective products repaired or replaced; Right to be fully informed about products; Right to be informed about the right address to contact in case of complaint. According to the Commission, the next step to take is to inform consumers of their rights and how to use them in practice. This step seems fundamental to fulfil the scope of the legislation. To address this issue the Commission is going to launch next spring, the Consumer Awareness Campaign. The initiative will focalize on countries where awareness of consumer right is low according to the latest consumer scoreboard. Commissioner for Consumer policies will visit Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Spain. A series of formative events will be organized around his visits.
consumers. National authorities focused on 4 main issues: Avoid consumer misleading by advertising game as free when they are not; Prevent children to purchase apps updated versions; Avoid charging consumers without an explicit;
Provide information to consumers and especially traders email address, National authorities and the European Commission will keep monitoring the industry until a formal commitment and a detailed agenda is set up with app-providers
Summer 2014: Publication of the rules of procedure of the European Patent Court 2016: expected unified European patent
International Trade
Progress in negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
From 10 to 14 March, representatives from the European Union and the United States met in Brussels to try to move a step forward in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Both sides reported regular progresses without providing too many details. According to observers, negotiators are now trying to build consensus around the discussions involving a large number of stakeholders in the talks. In this context, the two sides published a joint document analysing the potential benefits of the agreement for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The document highlights how small businesses are negatively impacted by non-tariff barriers during their internationalization processes. Negotiators also met around 300 representatives of business, consumers and other relevant stakeholders. The most controversial aspects that were discussed are: Market access: the offer made by the US on tariffs removal is still considered insufficient by the European side. According to EU officials the EU aims to remove tariffs in 96% of areas while the US wish to stop at 88%. On that point the compromise could be to elaborate a roadmap to remove tariffs on different kind of goods gradually (immediate removal, 3 years, 7 years and undefined). Public procurement: The Commission would like European Companies not to be discriminated while competing to bid procurement contracts in the US, especially at the state level. Currently, the so-called Buy American Act, encourages companies to prefer US-made products in their purchases Exclusive rights for well-known products like feta cheese or Porto wine. Cheese made in the US can be labelled and sold as Parmesan while in the EU it cannot. The EU asks the recognition of a Geographical Indication protection while the US consider that the European system is too broad and unfair towards American producers. Europe has already reached a similar compromise with Canada claiming that this recognition avoids consumers misleading. Investor-State Dispute-Settlement (ISDS): The US aims to strengthen companies position on legal disputes with States; on this point the EU will launch in the next weeks a three months public consultation. The Commission is willing hold its decision until the end of the public consultation results. Germany already expressed concerns on this point. Data protection: The European Parliament is demanding to include regulations addressing how private data is collected by businesses in the agreement.
Financial services: The US are still resisting the European pressure on including financial services in the deal.
A fundamental next step will be the visit of the US President Barack Obama in Brussels on 26 of March when the Commission hopes he will provide political guidance. Negotiators are
End of June: deadline of the public consultation Summer: Fifth round of negotiations in Washington
Taxation
European Finance Ministers revitalize the debate on FTT
On 19 February, Finance Ministers from 11 Eurozone Members had an informal meeting outside the Ecofin Council to discuss the introduction of the proposed Financial Transaction Tax (FTT). Under the enhanced cooperation procedure 11 countries are trying to reach a political agreement or at least a joint declaration on the FTT before the European elections of May (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia and Estonia). The discussion at a political level shows for the very first time that despite the critics that followed the stalemate of the proposition 11 Members are still determined to introduce the rule. The key questions that have been debated among ministers mainly focus on: The scope: Members are discussing about applying the tax only to shares and to extend it later to bonds and derivatives; The principle of place of residence of the parties to the transaction and/or the place of emission of the taxable financial instruments. Germany and France are discord on these fundamental points. Both countries want to avoid the risk that the new rules could lead to a flight of capital outside the FTT zone. According to observers this contrast may lead to a minimalist compromise. The only certain element is that the revenue coming from this tax would be much lower that the amount planned by the Commission (35 Billion Euros).