Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
SECTORAL POLICIES................................................................................................. 4
Agriculture And Fisheries ................................................................................................................. 4
Transport .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Consumers ........................................................................................................................................ 15
International Trade.......................................................................................................................... 16
Taxation ........................................................................................................................................... 18
SECTORAL POLICIES
Agriculture And Fisheries
European Parliament voted in favor of Deep-Water fishing
On 10 December, the European Parliament rejected a total ban on bottom trawling. With their vote, Members of the European Parliament allowed deep-water fishing to be continued (for at least five years) and provided a new framework for demersal fishing and measures to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems. The amendment introduced by the Greens and the GUE/NGL links parties reintroducing a proposal banning deepwater trawling at depths of over 600 metres has been rejected (342 against to 326 in favor with 19 abstentions). According to the compromise adopted, the Commission will have to assess the impact that this kind of fishing has on vulnerable marine ecosystems and species at least four years after the entry into force of the regulation. If, on that date, the Commission considers that certain species and areas are particularly threatened, it will have to present a new proposal for a total ban on bottom trawling. The compromise text also set obligations for Member States to use a framework of qualitative scientific data in order to determine the vulnerable marine ecosystems. They will have to set up observer programmes allowing data to be collected on deep-water species and on vulnerable marine ecosystem. Stakeholders are of course really divided on this outcome. The Conservatives Members of Parliament and the fishing industry welcomed the vote which is said to safeguard thousands of jobs for sea fishermen. Environmental organisations expressed their discontentment after the vote, underlining the Parliaments incapacity to protect oceans. It should be noticed that this decision aroused a massive and unexpected social reaction with a petition from the civil society supported by 750 000 European citizens.
Early 2014: entry into force of the regulation 2018: Commissions impact assessment 2019: Possible Commissions new proposal
world, in particular by intensifying business trips outside the EU with the participation of European business representatives to numerous third countries events - a model already used by Industry Commissioner Tajani on his so-called missions for growth. The new promotion strategy will aim at opening up new markets for European products. By doing so, the Commission intends to shift the focus of the new policy from individual campaigns to so-called multi-country programmes presented jointly by several organisations from several Member States. To this end, the proposal increases the EU cofinancing rate from 50% to 60%. The remaining 40% would need to be covered by the companies themselves. On Monday 16 December, EU agriculture ministers had a first exchange of views on this strategy and discussed at an initial roundtable on issues such as the eligibility of the products, co-
funding rates, earmarked budget (an amount of 60 million is anticipated for 2014 with a gradual rise to 200 million by 2020) and the Member States role in the procedures. Agriculture ministers will meet again on 17 February, when the Commission will present its report on the possible labeling of agricultural products from the islands. On 14th April, the EU agriculture ministers will meet again and will try to adopt the EU strategy on the promotion of agricultural products. As for the EU Parliament, the other co-legislator, it has pledged to deliver its opinion before it goes into recess next year. The new system is planned to fully enter into force in January 2016.
17 February: Councils debate on the strategy 14 April: Councils expected adoption of the strategy April: Parliaments expected adoption of the strategy January 2016: full entering into force of the strategy
appropriate funding for research and development activities in 2014. Conclusions also encouraged the cooperation on development of air-to-air refueling and a plan on satellite communication. They also call to increase cooperation on technologies development and integration of defence industries. According to experts this could have a significant impact at a national level particularly because cluster
industries will foster economies of scale. In 2014, an EU maritime security strategy (expected in June) and a cyber-defense policy framework will be published.
20 Jan 2014: Foreign Affairs Council June 2015 European Council Summit
Ongoing: infringement procedures against Member States Mid 2014: Commissions report on internal energy market Mid 2014: Adoption of guidelines for state aid rules
Eight Member States and Members of the European Parliament call for 2030 renewable energy targets
Energy ministers from eight Member States, including Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Portugal, have written a letter to Gnther Oettinger, European Commissioner for energy and Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for climate to call for the European Commission to propose new targets for renewable energy by 2030. The initiative comes after a year of increasing protest against the idea of extending the current framework to 2030 and after the announcement that the Commission would only propose a target for emissions reduction for 2030 later this month (without targets for renewables and energy efficiency). The letter insists on the potential impacts of 2030 renewables targets on investment, job creation and growth. It stresses the need to provide efficient planning and expansion of the European grid with renewable energies. In the Parliament, the Members of the Committees on Environment (ENVI) and Energy (ITRE) have supported on 9 January in a joint own initiative report the inclusion of three binding objectives (reduction of greenhouse gases, or GHGs, promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency) in the future 2030 energyclimate change strategy. The report will now be submitted to the Parliament's plenary assembly, most probably during its February session. If the Commission has not ruled out yet on the possibility to put forward further targets, the decision will probably fall to the next college of Commissioners which will take office in Autumn.
22 January: proposal for 2030 emissions reduction target February: adoption of the Parliaments report in plenary Autumn: expected new college of Commissioners
Financial Services
The Council for Economic and financial affairs reaches an agreement on the single resolution mechanism
On 19 December finance ministers found an agreement on the single resolution mechanism (SRM) for restructuring failed banks. The ambition of Heads of State and Government is to complete this procedure by the end of the legislature next spring. The initiative aims at introducing common rules for banking rescue bringing Eurozone and some extra Eurozone banks under the authority of a single supervisory body. The fundamental idea behind this proposal is to transfer the power to bail out banks from the national governments to a new EU body. This initiative was welcomed by most European leaders. Ministers of Finances changed a large part of the initial Commission proposal, especially reducing
Commissions role in deciding if to bail out or not a bank. According to the Councils text, the final decision about banks saving should be devoted to the Council. Furthermore another controversial change from Commissions proposal is related to the creation of the resolution fund: the single resolution fund would have access to common Member State funds only after ten years which, according to experts, could be an incentive for banks to continue with budgetary imbalances. This latest elements were strongly criticized both by the Commission and the European Central Bank. According to the Council position,n the single resolution fund should now be established
through an intergovernmental treaty. This statement was criticized by President Schulz because it would put the European Parliament out of play. Despite the optimism of heads of States, time is running out before Parliament dissolves in April and a long negotiation is predictable in the trialogue.
28 January: next ECOFIN meeting 1 March: deadline for negotiation for intergovernmental agreement on single resolution mechanism
defines novel food as newly developed products; food produced using new technologies or food traditionally eaten outside the EU (in particular food for which consumption in the EU was negligible before May 1997). The proposals objective is to facilitate novel food market access by simplifying and clarifying authorization
procedures. The text has now to be discussed within the Council and the Parliament.
End 2014/ Begin 2015: adoption of position from the EP and Council 2016: expected entering into force of the Directives
Flavours will be banned with an exception for menthol cigarettes that will be allowed till 2020; A tracking system will be introduced to tackle sales on the black market; Cross-border sales and particularly online sales will be from now on legally prohibited. The most controversial part of the negotiation was the issue of electronic cigarettes. Member States wished to ban refillable cartridge arguing that they were unsafe, while MEPs, under the pressure of manufacturers and consumers refused such measure. The final compromise reached gives Member States the choice to classify electronic cigarettes as medicinal products or tobacco
products. The maximum nicotine concentration will be 20mg/ml, refill bottles and cartridges will also have a defined maximum capacity. Moreover the European Commission will be able to unilaterally propose an EU ban if a specific cartridge is banned from at least three Member States. The text has now to receive the agreement of the Parliament in plenary session and the Council. It will come into force from 2016.
March: formal adoption of the directive 2016: entry into force of the directive
January: formal adoption of the regulation 2016: entry into force of the regulation
doubts over the substance and timing of two issues: common regulation principles for radio frequency allocation of wireless broadband (4G development). European Ministers opposed Europe-wide harmonization for allocating frequency and called for more attention to national specificities. alignment of roaming services with national prices by 2016. According to European ministers, this Commissions flagship proposal would create a high level of uncertainty among operators. Ministers supported the aim of reducing roaming charges, but many said existing roaming proposals (2009 regulation) need to be implemented before new ones are adopted. Others claimed the proposals would distort competition. As a reminder, the Commission's roaming proposals aims at eliminating charges for receiving calls across borders within the bloc, and a cap of 0.19 per minute for those making calls across EU borders.
Many ministers also expressed concerns that the Commissions proposals to harmonize consumer protections would have the effect of diluting their own existing domestic provisions. In the Council, the dossier will now pass to the Greek presidency which will be in charge of developing the debate for the next six months. Within the European Parliament, good progress have been achieved with a Committee vote expected in February before a plenary vote in April. The Commission expects that the interinstitutional talks will lead to a compromise text before the end of its mandate in 2014.
February: Parliaments committee vote on Telecom package April: Parliaments plenary vote on Telecom package April: Expected Councils vote on Telecom package Fall 2014: Expected adoption of the Telecom package
10 March: Parliaments plenary vote on Cyber security Directive Mid-2014: expected adoption of the Directive
Transport
European Parliament pushes to reinforce air passengers rights
On 17 December, Members of the European Parliamentary Committee on Transport (TRAN) finally adopted a compromise text with a massive majority (37 in favor, 3 against) which aims at strengthening a Commissions proposal on air passengers rights. MEPs put forward in particular amendments lifting up the thresholds proposed by the Commission for triggering reimbursement, compensation or re-routing in case of air delays. They asserted that compensation should be due after a three-hour delay for flights of up to 2,500 km (300 in compensation), after five hours for flights of up to 6,000 km (400) and after seven hours for flights of over 6,000 km (600). The Commission was counting on thresholds of five, nine and twelve hours. To recall, the current regulation does not establish financial compensation for delays, only for cancellation. But the EU Court of Justice believed that it went against the treaty, which in turn fuelled the need to adapt the regulation. Members of the European Parliament also cleared up the notion of extraordinary circumstances allowing airline companies to circumvent paying compensation (this disposition has been subject to systematical abuses in the past). They called for the regulation to contain an exhaustive list of exceptional circumstances. The Commissions proposal only contained a nonexhaustive list. MEPs for instance supported that Labour disputes at an airline company qualify as an extraordinary circumstance -as the Commission would like- but only if it is
unforeseen. This means that if a pilot strike is announced in advance and leads to delays/cancellations, it will certainly result in compensation. The compromise text will now pass to the plenary session in February, and the Parliament is counting on an agreement in first reading with the Council by the end of the legislative period. The
Council is expected to adopt its position in March but current discussions seem to show that Member States are keener to support the airline companies interests more than MEPs.
February: Adoption of final position of the Parliament March: Adoption of the final position of the Council April-May: Expected adoption of the final compromise
March: deadline for EU mobility calls for proposals (1st set) August: deadline for EU mobility calls for proposals (2nd set) Mid-2014: launch of platform for sustainable mobility
CROSS-SECTORAL POLICIES
Competition
European Commission simplifies merger procedures
On 5 December, the European Commission adopted a package of measures to simplify its procedures for reviewing concentrations under the EU Merger Regulation. The new measures are supposed to bring significant benefits to businesses in terms of preparatory work and related costs. Under the new requirements, mergers below a 20% combined market share will now qualify for a simplified procedure (instead of 15% previously). Mergers in vertically integrated markets (such as between a producer and a manufacturer) below a 30% combined market share as well as merger with a combined market shares of between 20% to 50% but with a small increase in market share after merger will also qualify for the simplified procedure. With the new thresholds, the Commissions objective is to bring the total ratio of cases treated under simplified procedure to 6070%. The package also provides companies with shorter notification forms and a significant reduction of information requested from merging companies. With the new dispositions, the Commission will also be entitled to clear cases without a market investigation. Last, merging parties may offer commitments in order to remove competition problems raised by a notified merger. The Commission developed models for offering commitments to divest assets and for the establishment of a mandate for the trustees monitoring the implementation of the commitments.
state aid should gradually move to a more market friendly support of renewable energy in the form of market premiums or certificate schemes. Accordingly, the guidelines propose to focus more on infrastructure projects for cross-border energy flows. On 20 December, the European Commission published for public consultation a draft framework setting out revised conditions under which Member States can grant state aid for research, development and innovation activities (R&D&I). It will offer Member States more possibilities to channel state aid towards boosting innovation, growth and jobs: the conditions for subsidised pilot and demonstration projects will be more flexible; It will facilitate the validation of technologies which are vital for the competitiveness of
European industry and addressing societal challenges such as climate change. A new category of aid for the construction and upgrade of research infrastructure will also be set up. After having analysed the comments by stakeholders, the Commission envisages adopting a new framework in spring 2014.
14 February: end of consultation for energy and environment state aid guidelines 20 February: end of consultation for research and development state aid guidelines 1 July: entry into force of a new framework for R&D
Consumers
Council of Ministers adopted a general approach on payment accounts
On 20 December, the Council of Ministers adopted a general approach on a draft directive aimed at improving the transparency and comparability of information on fees related to payment accounts. The proposal sets out to enable the consumer to make informed choices when opening a payment account, whilst facilitating the switching of accounts and eliminating discrimination based on residency. It also sets out to guarantee access to basic payment services throughout the EU. The aim is to enhance both consumer protection and integration of the single market, contributing to easier market entry, increased economies of scale and strengthened competition in the banking and payment industries. Negotiations with the European Parliament will now start, with the aim of adopting the directive at first reading.
4 February: Parliaments vote on trademark package Early-Mid 2014: Councils vote on trademark package Mid-End 2014: expected EU compromise on package
International Trade
Third EU/US round talks makes significant progress in negotiation
From 16 to 20 December, took place in Washington the third round of discussions between European and American negotiators on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade agreement that aims at removing trade barriers between EU and the US. Both delegations talked about progress during the press conference that followed this third round. The three key elements of the TTIP are market access, regulatory aspects and rules. The most relevant themes discussed during the latest round were: Agriculture: US wants Europe to approve genetically modified food; Food: Commission asks for exclusive rights in using food names with a specific geographic origin; Financial services: EU Commission wants to include them in the negotiations; Energy: EU access to new energy sources in the US (shale gas) and US concern over fuel quality directive; Data security: US demands for free data flows.
Both European Parliament and American Congress are strongly supporting this initiative, but Europe has been more ambitious hoping to close the deal by October. A meeting between the European Commissioner for trade Karel De Gucht and Mike Froman, the US trade representative, will occur during February, while the fourth round of negotiation will take place in Brussels 4 March. Those next two meetings will
February: meeting between European Commissioner for trade and US trade representative March: fourth round of negotiations October: expected final agreement
Taxation
High-level expert group to focus on taxation of digital economy
On 12 December, the high-level expert group established by the European Commission on Taxation of the digital economy organized its first meeting. The group of experts, consisting of six national members, will report back to the Commission by mid-2014, listing the main problems of taxing the digital economy. In particular, it will seek to propose different options on the way multinationals active in this sector whose tax optimisation strategies are increasingly being criticised shall be taxed. The Commission will then develop any necessary EU initiative to improve the tax framework for the digital sector in Europe.
Mid 2014: report from the high level group on taxation of digital economy End 2014-Begin 2015: new tax framework for the digital sector