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Logging in Bialowieza Forest illegal, EU Court of Justice rules — 17 April 2018, 18:20 CET

The European Court of Justice of the European Union has issued a final judgement in which it confirms that it was illegal to increase logging in the Bialowieza Forest in Poland. WWF welcomes today's decision of the court.

EC collective redress proposal fails to follow its own recommendations against potential abuse — 12 April 2018, 22:59 CET

Insurance Europe is concerned about the implications of the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers, which was published yesterday. The proposal would repeal the 2009 Injunctions Directive, and govern how consumers launch collective legal actions against organisations, such as insurers.

'New Deal for Consumers' - clear improvement but not the needed quantum leap — 12 April 2018, 17:17 CET

The European Commission proposed on 11 April to give teeth to consumer law by publishing proposals which include tougher sanctions for companies that act illegally and a limited collective compensation tool (collective redress) across the EU.

EU Commission plan allows chemical producers to keep control of science behind pesticide approvals: Greenpeace — 12 April 2018, 17:13 CET

A European Commission proposal to reform EU risk assessments for pesticides and other products entering the food chain would allow the chemical industry to remain in charge of testing its own products, warned Greenpeace.

Posting of workers directive: balanced agreement, let's now focus on enforcement — 12 April 2018, 17:09 CET

The European Builders Confederation (EBC) welcomes yesterday’s approval of the compromise agreement on the revision of the Posting of Workers Directive by the Council.

Insufficient support for electric vehicle charging infrastructure hampers uptake, new report shows — 12 April 2018, 16:44 CET

A report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that there is still serious underinvestment in electric vehicle recharging infrastructure across Europe, with only one in three EU member states providing incentives.

"New Deal for Consumers": missed chance for SME-friendly law — 11 April 2018, 23:12 CET

Today, the European Commission published its package on the "New Deal for Consumers" – a targeted revision of the European consumer law. The revision follows the Fitness Check of consumer and marketing laws and the parallel evaluation of the Consumer Rights Directive which had the aim to identify excessive regulatory burdens, overlaps and inconsistencies that may have appeared over time. UEAPME states that the result is a missed chance to simplify the consumer acquis and that too much emphasis is put on enforcement.

Auto makers equip all new car models with life-saving eCall — 29 March 2018, 18:33 CET

As of this Saturday (31 March), automobile manufacturers will equip all new car types with eCall; a system that automatically dials emergency services in the event of a serious road traffic accident.

French building community taking up the challenge of upscaling energy renovation of buildings — 29 March 2018, 18:30 CET

On 27th March, the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE) organised with the French Coalition for Energy Efficiency (CFEE) a workshop on 'Energy Renovation of Buildings in France: how to make the most out of the revised EU framework, with a French perspective'.

Greenpeace investigation: EU imports of Amazon timber tainted by widespread fraud in Brazil — 22 March 2018, 17:58 CET

A Greenpeace investigation has exposed widespread fraud in the Brazilian forestry sector, which may have allowed massive quantities of illegal timber to reach the EU. Under the EU timber regulation, importers are obliged to take action to prevent illegal timber from entering the supply chain.

Bremain in Spain on the Brexit transition period, agreed thanks to another May U-turn — 22 March 2018, 18:55 CET

When Michel Barnier and David Davis appeared at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, to announce that a Brexit transition deal had been agreed, there was a general acceptance that significant progress had been made. To many, it seemed like a major step forward. The money markets reacted immediately, with Sterling increasing in value to its highest level in three weeks. Bremain in Spain, a group campaigning for the rights of British citizens in Spain and the EU, comments on the latest developments.

EU Commission gives green light to Bayer-Monsanto merger — 22 March 2018, 17:51 CET

The European Commission approved on 21 March the merger of Bayer and Monsanto, paving the way for the creation of the world's largest and most powerful agribusiness company.

Sustainable finance: Banks ready to support EU technical talks — 22 March 2018, 16:59 CET

Sustainable finance experts in the European banking sector on Wednesday agreed to better align themselves for collecting industry insights to provide effective support for the technical discussions at the European Commission on the implementation of the EU’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan.

European Construction Industry welcomes the rejection of the proposed services e-card by the European Parliament — 22 March 2018, 17:51 CET

Yesterday, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) of the European Parliament rejected the report on the European Commission’s proposal to introduce a services e-card, amongst other things, in the construction industry. All other EP committees involved had already rejected the proposal.

EU Summit Brexit future relations: damage limitation is top priority for EU27 businesses — 22 March 2018, 16:43 CET

Prior to tomorrow's EU Summit discussion among the EU27 Heads of State on future relations with the United Kingdom, EUROCHAMBRES has stressed the importance of paying greater attention in this next phase to mitigating the damage to EU27 businesses, particularly SMEs.

European businesses welcome Transition Period but need to know end state to prepare for Brexit — 21 March 2018, 16:36 CET

The Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe (COBCOE) welcomes the Transition Period announcement on 19 March 2018 but warns that lack of detail about the end state and continuing uncertainty poses an economic risk.

Focus on vehicle safety measures with most tangible results, auto industry says — 21 March 2018, 15:32 CET

Before the European Commission publishes its proposal on the revision of the General Safety Regulation this May, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) is calling on policy makers to focus on the most effective vehicle safety measures with the strongest positive impact.

Economic and social progress cannot happen without SMEs — 21 March 2018, 15:29 CET

At the Tripartite Social Summit focussing on 'Delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights' (EPSR), UEAPME President Ulrike Rabmer-Koller put forward the fact that we need a strong economy and growth to achieve social progress.

Brexit: EU auto makers call for urgent action to solve sector-specific issues — 20 March 2018, 00:39 CET

Just a few days ahead of the EU summit, where the 27 heads of state are set to approve the European Council's Brexit guidelines, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) is calling on the negotiators to pay urgent attention to sector-specific issues in order to avert potentially disastrous implications on the entire automotive supply chain.

Lip service on deforestation - Is the EU taking its commitment to halt deforestation seriously? — 20 March 2018, 00:33 CET

A new feasibility study on Options to step up EU action to combat deforestation and forest degradation published by the European Commission clearly shows the EU’s role in contributing to deforestation on other continents, such as the Amazon and the Cerrado in Brazil, or tropical forests in Malaysia.

Commission study makes pressing case for EU action on deforestation — 20 March 2018, 00:27 CET

A long awaited European Commission study, released late on Friday, lays out policy options for the EU to tackle the impact on global deforestation caused by the trade in crop and animal products like beef, soy and palm oil.

Environment and health concerns ignored by EU agriculture ministers — 20 March 2018, 00:21 CET

A statement by European agriculture ministers on the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) ignores the impacts on public health and the environment, according to Greenpeace. The text comes ahead of the EU Commission's proposed CAP reform, due in May. Agriculture ministers failed to address the environmental and health impacts of Europe's farming system, and in particular of its intensive meat and dairy sector.

EU Court of Justice strengthens the precautionary principle — 16 March 2018, 11:23 CET

The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) today confirmed the right of civil society organisations to submit legal cases concerning the health risks of genetically engineered plants.

Half of plant and animal species at risk from climate change — 16 March 2018, 11:22 CET

Up to half of plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich areas, such as the Amazon, the Arctic and the Galapagos - and in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea Basin - could face local extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked.

Self-employed must have better access to social protection — 14 March 2018, 23:57 CET

Representing entrepreneurs and self-employed in Europe, and in response to the new Commission initiative as part of the Social Fairness Package, UEAPME advocates that all workers and self-employed have access to basic levels of social protection at an affordable cost.