EU’s New Circular Economy Action Plan
On 11 March 2020, the Commission published its New Circular Economy Action Plan. This document provides the basis for multi-sectoral regulatory work aimed at creating a circular economy by 2050. The plan foresees the introduction of new consumer rights, new ecodesign regulations and the mobilisation of several European research funds. Most impacted sectors are ICT […]
EU’s Green Deal
In December 2019, the new European Commission presented the European Green Deal. The ultimate goal of the European Green Deal is to make the European Union the first climate neutral continent by 2050. To meet this objective, the European Commission will embark on a comprehensive review of existing and ongoing legislative measures and consider rolling […]
EU Rules on Food Safety
On 2 March 2020, the European Commission commenced a consultation process with all stakeholders aimed at reviewing the existing legal framework on food irradiation. The goal of the European Commission is two-fold. On one hand, the European Commission wants to assess whether the free movement of irradiated foodstuff within the internal market still works. On […]
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 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 […]
EU to review State aid in fishery and aquaculture
The European Commission launched a consultation on the review of State aid framework concerning fishery and aquaculture, which is set to expire in September 2019. The European Commission’s subsequent proposal is expected to be adopted in the fourth quarter of 2020. The review aims to secure consistency of the regulations and guidelines concerning the European […]
EU to review rules on food contact materials
The European Commission has recently launched a public consultation to gather views on the current performance of the Food Contact Materials (FCM) legislation. This review will affect, among others, packaging and professional food manufacturing, preparation, storage and distribution. The results will feed then into the evaluation of the current legislative framework of FCM rules. Currently, […]
EU Eyeing New Restriction on Plastics
Starting from January 2018, China notified the WTO that it will ban the importing of 24 categories of waste, including plastics and mixed papers, on grounds of environmental and public health protection. The domino effect of the world’s biggest waste processor has already affected China’s biggest client, the European Union, which used to ship approximately […]
EU Takes Aim at Food Retailers
The European Commission has put large supermarket and food retail business under its regulatory radar, in an attempt to rationalize the European food supply chain. The initiative, likely to make its debut as early as in 2018, will place producers and farmers under its aegis, in an attempt to bridle at the hypermarkets power by […]