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On 14 September 2022, the Commission proposed a regulation to ban products made using forced labour, including child labour, on the European Union (EU) internal market. The proposal covers all products made available on the EU market, whether made in the EU for domestic consumption and for export, or imported. It covers products of any type, including their components, from all sectors and industries. EU Member States would be in charge of enforcing its provisions, and their national authorities ...

On 30 March 2023, the European Commission presented a proposal for a directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods. The proposed directive aims to mitigate current patterns of business and consumption, marked by frequent and premature replacement and discarding of goods. The proposal seeks to save costs for consumers and facilitate the development of a resource-efficient circular economy. The proposed directive would apply to the repair of goods within and outside the legal guarantee. In ...

On 14 March 2023, the European Commission proposed a reform of the EU electricity market, with the aim of reducing price volatility for consumers and creating favourable conditions for investors in low-carbon energy. The reform includes two legislative proposals – one on electricity market design (EMD) and the other on protection against wholesale energy market manipulation (REMIT). The reform would improve consumer protection by offering more fixed-price contracts and enhancing supplier obligations ...

In April 2023, the European Commission adopted regulatory proposals introducing a Unitary Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) and a centralised assessment procedure for SPCs for medicinal products. This study analyses the potential impacts of these proposals on access to medicines, the administrative burden to applicants and the cost to national health systems. This document was prepared by Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee ...

In September 2022, the European Commission proposed a regulation establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market (the 'European Media Freedom Act'). During the October I plenary session, Parliament is scheduled to vote on the report from its Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). The report as voted would then form Parliament's position for interinstitutional negotiations with the Council, which agreed its position in June 2023.

An independent media is a pillar of democracy and an important part of the economy, helping to shape public opinion and hold those in power to account. In recent years, however, there have been increasingly worrying trends across the European Union (EU), as documented in the annual rule of law reports by the European Commission and other tools such as the Media Pluralism Monitor. Tabled on 16 September 2022, the proposed European media freedom act (EMFA) would introduce a new set of rules to promote ...

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the single market. Although it has generally been a success story, a number of challenges remain. For instance, there is still no EU-wide harmonisation of the technical requirements for the road circulation of non-road mobile machinery. This has a negative effect on the functioning of the single market. This sector covers a broad range of machinery fitted with the means for self-propulsion – such as combine harvesters, excavators, ride-on mowers and forklifts ...

This European implementation assessment has been drawn up to support the work of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT) on its implementation report on Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Building on the Commission evaluation report published in 2020, the study assesses the implementation and application of the Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods. Health claims and use of health claims on foods containing botanicals are at the heart of this study, while nutrition ...

In September 2022, the Commission presented a single market emergency instrument (SMEI) package. During its September 2023 plenary session, the Parliament is expected to vote on the report adopted in July by its Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). The report as voted would then form Parliament's position for negotiations with the Council, which has recently adopted its position.

In 2023, the EU celebrates the 30th anniversary of the single market. Recent shocks have shown not only how vulnerable to crises the single market is, but also the extent to which the EU economy relies on a well-functioning single market. It is now considered to be a key driver of EU resilience. In September 2022, the Commission put forward a single market emergency instrument (SMEI) package. It includes one main proposal for a regulation establishing a SMEI, and two accompanying proposals amending ...