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Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a process allowing complaints to be settled out of court with the assistance of an impartial dispute resolution body. Through ADR, consumers can settle a complaint against a trader for breach of contract, outside court procedures, assisted by impartial, neutral dispute mediation, arbitration or conciliation. Since 2013, the share of e commerce in the EU economy has increased significantly, up from 2 % to 4 % of EU gross domestic product (GDP), increasing the ...

The Single European Sky (SES) initiative is about making EU airspace less fragmented and improving air traffic management in terms of safety, capacity, cost-efficiency and the environment. Its current regulatory framework is based on two legislative packages: SES I (adopted in 2004), which set up the principal legal framework, and SES II (adopted in 2009), designed to tackle substantial air traffic growth, increase safety, and reduce costs and delays and the impact of air traffic on the environment ...

Online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and grooming practices (manipulation aimed at exploiting and abusing people), now increasingly targeting younger children, have been proliferating at an alarming rate. In 2023, the more than 36.2 million reports of suspected online child sexual abuse represented a historical peak. Reports of grooming rose by more than 300 % between 2021 and 2023. Most activities detected were hosted in Europe. In response to this situation, on 11 May 2022 the European Commission ...

One in four people in the European Union has some form of disability. Over time, the EU has paid more attention to the issue of free movement for persons with disabilities, and in February 2016 it launched a European disability card scheme as a pilot project in eight Member States. Based on the experience and assessment of the EU disability card pilot project and the European parking card for persons with disabilities, the European Commission launched a legislative initiative on 6 September 2023 ...

Currently, there is no EU-wide legislation specifically on soil, although many policy instruments relevant to soil protection are in place. Under the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission presented a new EU soil strategy for 2030, with the aim of having all EU soil ecosystems in a healthy condition by 2050. To achieve this objective, on 5 July 2023 it tabled a proposal for a soil monitoring and resilience directive, laying down measures for monitoring ...

European Works Councils (EWCs) are bodies that should guarantee employees the right to be consulted on important issues in large multinational companies active in multiple EU countries. However, EWCs have been criticised for being ineffective, on account of unclear definitions, non-dissuasive sanctions and ineffective access to justice. In February 2023, the European Parliament called for legislative action to address the shortcomings identified and strengthen the functioning of EWCs. In response ...

On 1 March 2023, as part of the road safety package, the European Commission published a legislative proposal to help ensure EU-wide application of driving disqualifications. The proposal calls for increased cooperation, harmonisation of legislation, simplification of information exchange, capacity building, and improved public awareness efforts. In order to prevent impunity due to a lack of legislation, the proposal sets out rules to allow better EU-wide enforcement of driver disqualification decisions ...

Value added tax (VAT) is one of the key revenue raisers in national budgets, accounting on average for almost a fifth of all tax revenue collected in the EU; and yet, sizeable amounts of VAT revenue are lost to fraud. Moreover, VAT rules place a considerable administrative burden on businesses. On 8 December 2022, to help fight VAT fraud and reduce this burden, the European Commission tabled a three-part proposal for a directive on VAT in the digital age. The proposal has three main objectives. The ...

On 5 April 2022, the Commission presented a proposal for a regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases that would repeal Regulation (EU) No 517/2014. The proposal is among the last from the 'fit for 55' package, seeking to align EU climate and energy laws with the EU Climate Law's 2030 target. The proposal aims to further reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases). It would change the existing quota system, gradually reducing the supply of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) to the EU market ...

On 15 December 2021, the Commission presented a proposal to regulate methane emissions reductions in the energy sector. The proposal was part of the second batch of proposals in the 'fit for 55' package, seeking to align EU climate and energy laws with the EU Climate Law's 2030 target. The proposal addressed gaps in the current legislation: those relating to methane emissions from upstream exploration and the production of oil and fossil gas, but also those from the gathering and processing of fossil ...