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In December 2022, the European Commission presented two proposals to revise the rules on the collection and transfer of advance passenger information (API) data – data collected by air carriers at check-in and sent to competent authorities in the country of destination prior to take-off. One of the proposals is for a new regulation on the collection and transfer of API data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime. The proposal seeks to ...

On 1 March 2023, the European Commission published its legislative proposal on driving licences – a matter of EU competence – with the purpose of enabling the free movement of persons and goods throughout the EU by modernising the driving licence system. This involves making driving licence rules future-proof, improving road safety and simplifying the rules for those wanting to get a driving licence. The proposal provides for accompanied driving for young learners, zero tolerance for drink- driving ...

In December 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code, which lays down the rules governing controls at the EU internal and external borders. While debates on the reform of Schengen have been going on for a while, recent challenges – relating to the coronavirus pandemic on the one hand, and attempts to instrumentalise migrants as a way to put pressure on the EU's external borders, on the other – have created new momentum for reform. The Commission's proposal ...

In October 2022, under the European Green Deal, the European Commission tabled a proposal for a recast of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Dating back to 1991, and instrumental to the achievement of European Union water policy objectives, the directive needs to be updated and adapted to new challenges and realities. The recast proposal would introduce new obligations to do more to control pollution due to rainwater, impose stricter standards for nutrient removal and require advanced treatment ...

As part of its fight against harmful substances, on 13 February 2023 the European Commission tabled a proposal for a directive aimed at protecting workers' health by lowering occupational exposure to lead and diisocyanates. In Parliament, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, which is responsible for the file, adopted its report on 7 September 2023. The mandate to enter into interinstitutional negotiations was endorsed by the plenary the following week. On 14 November 2023, Parliament and ...

In absolute figures, Italy's national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) is the largest national plan under the ground-breaking Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument. In December 2023, a revision brought about various changes to the plan: it is now endowed with EU resources worth €194.4 billion in grants and loans, representing 26.1 % of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), or 10.8 % of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 (the RRF being 5.2 % of EU 27 GDP in 2019). A slight ...

On 26 April 2023, the European Commission put forward a 'pharmaceutical package' to revise the EU's pharmaceutical legislation and make medicines more available, accessible and affordable, while supporting the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry, with higher environmental standards. The package includes proposals for a new directive and a new regulation, which would replace the existing pharmaceutical legislation, including the legislation on medicines for children ...

Drawing on a wide array of sources and literature, this study examines the role of the European Parliament in the establishment of the European Community's consumer policy. It argues that Parliament played a key role in placing this nascent policy issue on the agenda. It influenced the definition of what the policy should include, what it should focus on, and which instruments should be used to address the problems facing European consumers. In this process, Parliament filtered ideas, issues and ...

Drawing on a wide array of sources and literature, this study examines the role of the European Parliament in the establishment of the European Community's social policy. It argues that Parliament played a key role in placing this nascent policy issue on the agenda. It influenced the definition of what the policy should include, what it should focus on, and which instruments should be used to address social problems. In this process, Parliament filtered ideas, issues and political objectives from ...

The Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority. Out of an estimated total of 10 to 12 million Roma in Europe as a whole, some 6 million live in the European Union (EU) and most of them are citizens of an EU Member State. A significant number of Roma people live in very poor socio-economic conditions. The social exclusion, discrimination and segregation they face are mutually reinforcing. Their restricted access to education and difficulties entering the labour market result in low income and poor ...