EU to regulate voice call termination rates
The European Commission has launched a public consultation to gather stakeholder and the public’s opinion on the scope and application of the future EU harmonized rules on voice call termination services. A termination rate is one component in the cost calculation for providing telephone service and is subject to most variation in the EU. Commission […]
EU to review European Financial Benchmarks
As a result of the manipulation of two prominent benchmarks – the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR) – the EU adopted the Benchmark Regulation (BMR) on indices used in financial instruments and contracts or to measure the performance of investment funds in January 2018. The European Commission has […]
EU guidelines on International Procurement Instrument
The European Commission released a new communication, guiding the participation of third country bidders and goods in the EU procurement market. The document aims to foment competition in public tenders and provide information to public buyers in Member States. The document advises on quality standards, how to assess abnormally low-priced offers and compliance with social […]
Alber & Geiger ranked among top lobbying firms in Europe
Alber & Geiger has been recognised for the fourth consecutive year as one of the top lobbying firms in Europe. The firm was shortlisted in four categories, including Lobbying the European Parliament, Consultancy Campaign of the Year and Consultancy of the Year by the Public Affairs Awards Europe 2018. Alber & Geiger picked up the […]
EU to regulate endocrine disruptors
On 7 November 2018, the European Commission adopted a Communication on endocrine disruptors. The Communication lays the groundwork for potential, new regulatory measures that will address endocrine disruptors across different areas in the EU, and beyond. Currently, the EU legal framework on endocrine disruptors is incoherent. First, different approaches apply to different sectors. Second, different […]
EU moves on Artificial Intelligence
In April this year, the European Commission put forward an EU approach to artificial intelligence and robotics. The EU’s plans include funding to encourage the uptake between public and private sectors. Moreover, the EU’s approach foresees support to education and labour to prepare for the deployment of AI. Last, while the EU is determined to […]
EU to review air quality rules
The public consultations on the robustness of the EU air quality legislations, comprised of the two Ambient Air Quality Directives as well as of the Implementing Decision and the Commission Directive have recently been finalized. The Directives had established European standards for a series of pollutants and aimed on ensuring their comprehensive and harmonized implementation […]
EU to strengthen rule of law compliance
In 2014, following threats to the rule of law in several Member States, the European Commission decided to launch a framework to address such systemic threats through dialogue with the concerned countries. Until now the process consists of an assessment of the problems, followed by concrete recommendations and a monitoring mechanism. Building on the existing […]
EU to focus on water policies
The European Commission has recently launched the debate on the fitness check of the backbone of its legislation on water protection and management. Therefore, the Water Framework Directive as well as the closely related Groundwater Directive, the Environmental Quality Standards Directive as well as the Flood Directive are currently under review. The main purpose of […]
EU to finalize Union strategy on chemicals
The Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on the development of a sustainable EU chemicals policy strategy in June 2019. These conclusions fall within the current 7th Environment Action Plan (EAP), adopted in 2013, which mandated the European Commission to develop a Union strategy for a non-toxic environment that is conducive to innovation. The […]