Think Tank

Think Tank

Think Tank

The documents that help shape new EU legislation

Latest published documents

Posted on 04-12-2023

New Product Liability Directive

Briefing 04-12-2023

As products have become more complex in the digital age, the European Commission published a proposal for a new directive on liability of defective products in September 2022. This would revise the existing Product Liability Directive, adopted nearly 40 years ago in 1985. The proposal aims to bring the European Union's product liability regime up to speed with the digital age, circular economy business models and global value chains by ensuring that consumers receive compensation for defective products ...

CO2 emissions of new cars and vans

At a Glance 04-12-2023

Road transport is responsible for almost a fifth of the EU's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The revision of the regulation on CO2 emission limits for new cars and vans under the 'fit for 55' package ensures an increasingly higher share of clean vehicles on European roads. All new cars registered after 2035 must be zero-emission vehicles. The new Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) meanwhile provides for roll out of the necessary recharging points.

Between 6 and 9 June 2024, the 10th European elections will take place in the 27 EU Member States, and around 366 million EU citizens will be called to the polling stations. The elections to the European Parliament represent a crucial moment in EU democracy: they give citizens a say in the EU's political direction. After declining ever since the first European elections in 1979, electoral turnout in the 2019 elections reached an unprecedented 50.6 % (up 8 percentage points compared with 2014). This ...

Manufacturing and trade in firearms for civilian purposes employs around 150 000 people in the EU. In 2020, the Commission adopted a 2020-2025 action plan on firearms trafficking to help curb the illegal flows of firearms, and ammunition, while also strengthening the legal market. The adoption of Directive (EU) 2021/555 on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons in 2021was the first legislative outcome of the plan. In October 2022, the Commission presented a proposal for a regulation ...

When businesses start operating cross-border, they are faced with a new and unfamiliar corporate tax system in each EU Member State. As a result, businesses with cross-border activities have to spend time and resources on understanding and complying with complex local corporate tax rules. This represents a significant administrative burden for those companies, increases the risk of double taxation and discourages companies from taking full advantage of the single market. On 12 September 2023, the ...

Upcoming events

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Other events LIBE

On 4 December 2023, an Inter-parliamentary meeting on the Situation of the Rule of Law in the EU will take place.

Illustration and practical information about the event on the participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process. The illustration shows a polling station surrounded by five persons. From left to right: a person who walks on crutches, a person in a wheel cahir, a person with a prostetic arm, a person accompanied by a guide dog, a person with an arm amputated
Other events EMPL

This Interparliamentary Committee Meeting will gather national Parliamentarians, Members from EMPL, AFCO, PETI and other committees, Council and Commission representatives, as well as representatives from main relevant NGOs. President Metsola will do welcoming words via video message.

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Hearings IMCO

An IMCO hearing on the performance of the Package Travel Directive and Consumer Protection will provide a platform for a discussion between Members, the Commission, and experts on the topic. It will shed light on the weaknesses exposed by the Covid pandemic and provide insights into this evolving landscape.

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The content of all documents contained in the Think Tank website is the sole responsibility of the author and any opinions expressed therein do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. It is addressed to the Members and staff of the EP for their parliamentary work.