Pascal ARIMONT

Policy topics Pascal ARIMONT is active on

What Pascal ARIMONT has said (44)

• 2026-03-20 “Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission 8.5.2026 Written question The objective of Article 25 of the European Media Freedom Act [1] , applicable as of 8 August 2025, is to ensure transparency in the allocation and use of public funds for state advertising, thereby supporting undistorted competition between media service providers and online platforms and reducing the risk of covert subsidies and undue political influence on the media. For Article 25 to apply, public funds have to be made available by a ‘public authority or entity’, defined as a national or subnational government, a regulatory authority or body, or an entity controlled, directly or indirectly, by a national or subnational government; the recipient has to be a media service provider or a provider of online platform; and the aim of spending has to be ‘state advertising’, defined as the placement, promotion, publication or dissemination of a promotional or self-promotional message or a public announcement or an information campaign. Therefore, without prejudging what a possible interpretation by the Court of Justice of the EU may find , organisations constituted under private law would be covered where they are controlled, directly or indirectly, by a national or subnational government and make available public funds for state advertising to media service providers or providers of online platforms . Article 25 does not provide for general thresholds limiting its application based on the level of expenditure. The only flexibility explicitly foreseen concerns certain subnational authorities, which may be exempted from publishing specific information (namely, business group data under Article 25(2)(b)), reflecting proportionality considerations. [1] Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market and amending Directive 2010/13/EU, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1083/oj/eng.”
  Transparency requirements for interest groups · EU engagement with civil society
• 2026-03-10 “Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission 5.5.2026 Written question The Commission is monitoring Amazon’s compliance with Article 5(3) of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) [1] , including by investigating Amazon’s pricing practices [2] . It has sent several requests for information to Amazon and is in an active regulatory dialogue both with Amazon and interested third parties. At the same time, the Commission has cooperated closely with the Bundeskartellamt within the framework of cooperation and coordination provided under the DMA and competition rules. Article 5(3) DMA does not cover all pricing practices but only those that prevent business users from offering the same products or services via different channels at prices different from those they offer via the gatekeeper. To the extent they amount to an abuse of a dominant position, pricing practices can also run afoul of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) or national equivalent competition laws. For any conduct not covered by the DMA, the Bundeskartellamt can apply the stricter abuse control provisions under Section 19a of the German Competition Act in addition to Article 102 TFEU and national equivalent, which always remain applicable next to the DMA. The Commission remains committed to ensuring effective implementation and enforcement of the DMA. The Commission continues its supervisory and enforcement work in relation to Amazon’s compliance with the DMA, and it will not hesitate to take any measure necessary if justified by the results of an ongoing investigation. [1] Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act), OJ L 265, 12.10.2022, pp. 1-66. [2] This includes the pricing mechanisms the Bundeskartellamt briefly explained under point 4 of the Questions and Answers accompanying the press release for its decision of 5 February 2026 , available at https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Publikation/EN/Others/Amazon_QandA.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=8.”
  EU rules on digital competition
• 2026-02-26 “Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission 29.5.2026 Written question The Commission recognises the importance of tackling high-burden under-researched medical conditions like Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and depending on the outcome of the negotiations on the next Multi Annual Financial Framework is considering the possibility of including in future work programmes of Horizon Europe (2028-2034) topics like the call topic: ‘Tackling high burden for patients and under-researched medical conditions’ [1] from the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025. Regarding the current Health Cluster part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, where topics are generally broad, there is an open call topic that is likely of interest for the ME/CFS research community: ‘Advancing research on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of post-infection long-term conditions’ [2] . The Commission is committed to fund high-quality proposals in all medical fields within the limitation of budget allocations and based on strategic choices made together with Member States and associated countries. Noteworthy, the observed increase in oversubscription across all call topics can in part be attributed to the rise in the use of artificial intelligence in proposal writing. [1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-HLTH-2025-01-DISEASE-07. [2] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-03.”
  EU competences on health
• 2026-01-22 “Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission 10.4.2026 Written question The Commission assessed the feasibility of a 100% reuse target for pallet wrappings and straps used for transport within the same Member State or within the same company, through a dedicated study [1] . The study concluded that the exclusive use of reusable options in 2030 could undermine transport safety and lead to disproportionate costs. On this basis, and pursuant to Article 29(18)(a) of Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation [2] (PPWR), the Commission has adopted a Delegated Act [3] exempting the use of pallet wrappings and straps from economic operators under Article 29(2 and 3). Under Article 30(3), for the 40% target, the Commission shall adopt an implementing act establishing the methodology for calculating compliance with the reuse targets [4] by 30 June 2027. The work on the methodology is already underway and aims to be simple and proportionate, minimising administrative burden [5] while fully considering hygiene and food safety considerations. In that context, the Commission will look at the availability of reusable solutions at scale and beyond pallets wrappings and straps. In addition, Article 29(13) provides for exemptions for micro-enterprises and operators placing no more than one tonne of packaging on the market per year, thereby avoiding disproportionate impacts on smaller companies. [1] https://op.europa.eu/s/Ada1, page 13. [2] Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC, OJ L, 2025/40, 22.1.2025. [3] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/commission-delegated-decision-exempting-certain-economic-operators-use-pallet-wrappings-and-straps_en. [4] The reuse target allows operators flexibility in organising their operations. For example, they may use reusable wrappings for shorter intra-EU transport and single-use wrappings for longer distances or combine single-use pallet wrappings with other reusable transport formats listed in Article 29(1), while still meeting the overall 40% reuse target. [5] For instance, by taking advantage of d igitalisation.”
  Circular economy · Sustainable packaging
• 2026-01-22 “Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission 20.3.2026 Written question Social and distributional aspects are addressed in EU climate policies [1] . The polluter-pays principle underpinning the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) ensures fairness in the transition. Member States can use ETS auction revenues to support those most affected. The EU funded Just Transition Mechanism addresses the social and economic effects of the transition, focusing on the regions, industries and workers in the territories where economic diversification and reconversion is most needed . The EU ETS has been covering the aviation sector in Europe since 2012. Private jets are included in the ETS above certain thresholds. The EU ETS has been extended to maritime transport since 2024, including yachts above 5 000 gross tonnage, in respect of their emissions from voyages for commercial purposes . In accordance with the ETS Directive requirements, the Commission will evaluate the climate impact of exempted small maritime and aviation operators. It may propose additional measures as appropriate. Some Member States have voluntary ‘opted-in’ emissions from leisure boats within the ‘ETS2’. The new ETS for buildings and road transport (ETS2) places emphasis on fairness. It will generate revenues that must be reinvested in climate action. The Social Climate Fund addresses the social impacts of the ETS2 on vulnerable groups, by devoting more than EUR 86 billion to support those affected by energy and transport poverty. The revision of the Energy Taxation Directive aims to broaden the scope of energy taxation to cover more sectors including aviation and maritime through removing existing exemptions. The proposal remains under consideration by the Council. The Commission stands ready to continue supporting the adoption. [1] See, for example, Annex 8 of the impact assessment for the 2040 Climate Target — SWD(2024) 63 final, Part 3/5, and more specifically Section 2.4.1 ‘Fuel expenses, energy and transport poverty, distributional impacts’, Section 2.4.4 ‘Changes in relative prices and distributional impacts’ and Section 2.4.5 ‘The equity dimension’.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme · Climate efforts
• 2026-01-22 “E-000245/2026 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has been exploring innovative options to broaden the sources of concessional finance for climate action, in line with the 2025 Council Conclusions on International Climate Finance 1 . This includes solidarity levies from the fossil fuel sector. The Commission is a partner of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, established at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) by the governments of Barbados, France and Kenya. The Task Force promotes the implementation of solidarity levies as a source of finance to support climate and development goals. At the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), it launched the Premium Flyers Solidarity Coalition, aiming to introduce levies on business class, first class and private jets in the aviation sector. The EU will also contribute to the implementation of the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, and the call on all actors to work together to scale up financing for developing countries to at least USD 1.3 trillion per year 2035. This includes advocating for broadening the donor base and improving domestic resource mobilisation. 1 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-13732-2025-INIT/en/pdf.”
  Environmental crimes and justice · Climate efforts
• 2026-01-22 “E-000247/2026 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission Social fairness is addressed in EU climate policies and in their preparation. The objective of the Social Climate Fund 1 is to address the social impacts of the new emission trading system for buildings and road transport (ETS2) on vulnerable groups in the EU, especially those affected by energy and transport poverty. The ETS auction revenues can be used by Member States for these same purposes. Lower income Member States benefit from proportionally higher shares of these revenues, which aims to support them in their transition 2 . The Modernisation Fund 3 supports the modernisation of energy systems and the improvement of energy efficiency in 13 lower-income Member States. The Effort Sharing Regulation 4 recognises the different capacities of Member States to take action by differentiating targets according to gross domestic product per capita. The Just Transition Mechanism, funded by the EU budget, addresses the social and economic effects of the transition, focusing on the regions, industries and workers in the territories where economic diversification and reconversion is most needed 5 . The EU solidarity fund 6 and EU Civil Protection Mechanism support countries in Europe and beyond when struck by climaterelated emergencies. Internationally, the EU, its Member States and the European Investment Bank are together the world’s biggest contributor of public climate finance to developing economies 7 . The EU monitors, estimates and reports on emissions at national level, as required under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The impact assessments of climate policy initiatives include analyses of the social and distributional impacts, i.e. impacts on the various income groups and the most vulnerable groups, 8,9,10 through the use of economic modelling tools. 1 https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/funding/social-climate-fund_en. 2 10% of ETS allowance is specifically distributed to the lower income Member States for the purposes of solidarity. 3 The Modernisation Fund is funded by ETS revenues, https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-funding-climateaction/modernisation-fund_en. 4 https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/effort-sharing-member-states-emission-targets/effort-sharing-2021-2030targets-and-flexibilities_en. 5 The Just Transition Fund allocated nearly EUR 20 billion to invest in diversifying economies and reskilling workers in vulnerable regions. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europeangreen-deal/finance-and-green-deal/just-transition-mechanism_en. 6 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/solidarity-fund_en. 7 In 2024, they contributed EUR 31.7 billion in climate finance from public sources and mobilised an additional amount of EUR 11.0 billion of private finance. 8 See the assessments for the 2030 Climate Target Plan and the Fit for 55 package: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:749e04bb-f8c5-11ea-991b01aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_2&format=PDF. https://commission.europa.eu/topics/climate-action/delivering-european-green-deal/fit-55-deliveringproposals_en. 9 See SWD(2024) 63 final Part 3/5, Annex 8 and more specifically Section 2.4.1. Fuel expenses, energy and transport poverty, distributional impacts, Section 2.4.4. Changes in relative prices and distributional impacts’ and Section 2.4.5 The equity dimension. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:6c154426-c5a6-11ee-95d901aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_3&format=PDF.”
  Climate efforts · Energy (green transition)
• 2026-01-06 “E-000017/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission and Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) actively monitor the implementation of the Digital Service Act (DSA) 1 , including compliance with Articles 16 and 20 by very large online platforms (VLOPs) and other providers of hosting services. Both the Commission and DSCs have various supervisory powers at their disposal, including the power to compel information from the providers. The Commission also continuously improves the DSA transparency database to help inform this effort. In October 2025, the Commission in addition adopted preliminary findings in relation to Meta, concerning Facebook and Instagram, and a suspected breach of Articles 16(1) and 25(1) DSA, as it appears to impose several unnecessary steps and additional demands on users and to use deceptive interface designs. In December 2023, the Commission initiated proceedings against the provider of X as it appears to fail to process notices on illegal content, to take decisions in a diligent, non-arbitrary and objective manner and to notify individuals or entities of the action taken in relation to notices. Both proceedings are still ongoing. The Commission is closely monitoring the implementation of Article 21 of the DSA on outof-court dispute settlement (ODS) bodies. Under the DSA, ODS bodies must report on an annual basis to the DSC that certified them. DSCs draw up a report on the functioning of the ODS bodies they certified every two years. The Commission has commissioned a study to identify and address the main issues faced by actors involved in the ODS process. This will allow the Commission to have an accurate overview of the implementation of Article 21 and assess whether additional guidance is needed. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng.”
  Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content
• 2025-11-03 “P-004305/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the non-legally binding offer from the United States bank to the Tungsten West PLC. The Commission is closely monitoring all relevant developments for the 60 designated strategic projects and their contribution to the objectives enshrined in the Critical Raw Materials Act 1 . Should any change occur on the project with respect to their ability to meet such criteria, the Commission can withdraw the status of the strategic project considering the Critical Raw Material Board opinion. In the framework of the ResourceEU Action Plan, the Commission will work to accelerate the work with its global partners to secure diversified access to critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term, and to strengthen the EU industry resilience. Within this orchestrated effort, the materialisation of the designated strategic projects plays an essential role. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02024R1252-20240503.”
  EU-US trade relations · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
• 2025-10-15 “E-004046/2025 Answer given by Mr Kubilius on behalf of the European Commission The satellites of Copernicus, the EU’s earth observation system feed the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, and the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) provide a continuous, multi‑sensor stream for detecting, mapping, and assessing wildfires and their impacts. As Copernicus’ programme manager, the Commission aims to continue its satellite-based monitoring, e.g. by integrating Sentinel-3 data in EFFIS to mitigate satellite decommissioning impacts, or by accelerating the low latency near-real time broadcast of Sentinel 3 data for wildfire detection. To ensure continuity, Sentinel 3 satellites will be replaced by Sentinel 3 Next Generation, featuring state-of-the-art technologies and improved data accuracy and coverage, complemented by expansion missions. These actions will strengthen the capacity of EFFIS. Copernicus ensures access to additional satellite data sources via the Copernicus Contributing Missions, that include commercial missions, to satisfy the whole range of observational requirements. Moreover, the Commission is evaluating the potential of the Meteosat 1 Third Generation – Flexible Combined Imager data to monitor wildfires in Europe and collaborates with the Canadian Space Agency, anticipating the integration of data from the future WildFireSat constellation. Horizon Europe supports the evolution of Copernicus services, space technology innovation and partnerships, advancing wildfire monitoring and management technologies, exemplified by CHAMELEON 2 or ForestFireAI 3 . Copernicus is included in the European Competitiveness Fund proposal 4 that is tightly linked to research and innovation to ensure a seamless investment journey. 1 MeteoSat means meteorological satellites, here geostationary Satellites of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). https://www.eumetsat.int/. 2 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101060529. 3 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101206950. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025PC0555.”
  EU policy on infrastructure for preventing climate-related disasters (floods, droughts, extreme weather etc.)
• 2025-10-03 “E-003884/2025 Answer given by Ms Lahbib on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the challenges posed by technical incompatibilities, like incompatible firefighting equipment and of the need for improved cross-border integration and standardisation in disaster response equipment. While the EU has a supporting competence in civil protection, the primary responsibility lies with Member States, including for firefighting equipment. The Commission, alongside Member States, implements the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Training and Exercises Programme 1 to enhance response capabilities and improve coordination, interoperability, compatibility and complementarity. In addition, the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP) 2 , a reserve of emergency response teams and equipment, has a strong focus on interoperability, as one of the main focuses of the certification process 3 . An important element of interoperability is the Storz Standard for hose connection adaptors, which forms part of the quality requirements for modules and teams involved in firefighting as well as other modules in other areas as defined in EU legislation 4 . As part of the preparedness efforts, firefighter teams are prepositioned in countries most affected by forest fires during the summer. This initiative enhances expertise exchange and interoperability, serving as the initial layer of international response when necessary. The EU Preparedness Union Strategy 5 supports Member States by complementing national efforts, enhancing coordination while respecting national competences. One of the key actions is to incorporate preparedness by design into EU policies and programmes and the European Parliament’s support is crucial for these initiatives. 1 https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/media/ucpm-training-programme-brochure-2024. 2 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/european-civil-protection-pool_en. 3 https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/welcome-european-civil-protection-pool-ecpp-or-pool. 4 These requirements, detailed in the Annex II of Commission Implementing Decision 2025/704: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/704/oj, must be met for inclusion in the ECPP. 5 https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/circabc-ewpp/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/b81316ab-a513-49a1-b520b6a6e0de6986/file.bin.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• 2025-10-02 “E-003859/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission The Batteries Regulation 1 addresses the entire life cycle of all batteries placed on the Union market including requirements to fully address the end-of-life stage. To this end, the Regulation mandates high collection rates for portable and light means of transport batteries 2 , which, due to the separate collection and proper treatment, will result in a reduction of fire risks. The Regulation will increase the mandatory removability of batteries from appliances by February 2027 3 , which will also reduce fire risks due to batteries left in appliances. In line with Article 63 of the Regulation, the Commission will assess the feasibility and potential benefits of establishing deposit return systems for batteries by the end of 2027. The Commission will provide a report to the European Parliament and the Council and consider appropriate measures. Furthermore, the Regulation 4 applies to newly manufactured batteries but also to second-life batteries, except where explicitly stated otherwise in the Regulation itself. In line with Article 8 of the Regulation, the Commission is currently working on developing the methodology for calculation and verification of recycled content of certain metals in batteries, including specific rules for third-party verification by notified bodies. With regard to measures to insurability and support in fire protection, the Commission considers that national initiatives such as financial contribution for fire prevention measures in waste management facilities could be pursued at the operator or Member State level. The organisation of logistics at local or operator level such as improved sorting infrastructure could provide the proportionate response to prevent fires due to batteries. 1 Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2023 concerning batteries and waste batteries, amending Directive 2008/98/EC and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Directive 2006/66/EC, OJ L 191, 28.7.2023, p. 1–117. 2 Articles 59 and 60 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. 3 Article 11. 4 in accordance with the Union framework on product regulation.”
  Sustainability of batteries regulation · Circular economy
• 2025-09-29 “E-003767/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission The Commission adopted a proposal for a steel measure on 7 October 2025 1 . The proposal, implementing a commitment under the Steel and Metals Action Plan, aims to protect the EU steel sector from unfair impacts of global overcapacity, a vital step towards ensuring the longterm viability of a strategically crucial industry. The proposal will implement a tariff quota system, aimed to limit the undue crowding out risks, including for small and medium-sized enterprises, notably through country allocation and quarterly administration. 1 https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=COM(2025)726&lang=en.”
  EU policy on custom fee on non-EU imports
• 2025-09-18 “E-003621/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission In its recent public consultation 1 , the Commission gathered views from a broad range of stakeholders, including producers and importers of goods further down the value chain from Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) basic goods (i.e. downstream goods). This input will feed into the Commission work as laid out in the European Steel and Metals Action Plan 2 . More specifically, the Commission will present a proposal that covers an extension to steel and aluminium-intensive downstream goods. Furthermore, the Commission will also present a comprehensive review of CBAM before the end of this year. When considering a potential scope extension, the Commission assesses the risk of carbon leakage, the relevance in terms of emissions and technical feasibility, as outlined in the CBAM Regulation. In that context, it should be noted that downstream goods are not typically covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) but face a cost push from the phase-out of free allowances for their inputs and from the phase-in of CBAM. On 16 July 2025, the Commission presented its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), including CBAM as one of five new own resources. The proposal on CBAM-based own resources is for 75 % of CBAM revenues to enter the EU budget. Furthermore, as announced in the Communication on Delivering on the Clean Industrial Deal I 3 , by the end of 2025, the Commission intends to table a proposal on using the CBAM revenues to support production at risk of carbon leakage. The scheme would be in place for an initially defined period, with a review in 2027, its scope would be based on objective criteria and subject to deliverables on long term decarbonisation. 1 https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14748-Carbon-Border-AdjustmentMechanism-CBAM-downstream-extension-anti-circumvention-and-rules-on-electricity-emissions/publicconsultation. 2 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A European Steel and Metals Action Plan, COM(2025)125 final. https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/european-steel-and-metalsaction-plan. 3 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Delivering on the Clean Industrial Deal I, COM(2025)378 final. https://commission.europa.eu/publications/delivering-clean-industrial-deal-i.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• 2025-09-17 “E-003570/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The EU social security coordination rules 1 help to protect the rights of EU citizens with disabilities and their carers to social security benefits when they move across borders 2 . Periods of insurance or residence completed in another Member State may be used to establish entitlement. Benefits remain fully payable even if the beneficiary lives outside of the paying Member State, although benefits categorised as special non-contributory cash benefits 3 or social assistance are excluded from this. Directive (EU) 2024/2841 establishes the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities to facilitate the free movement of persons with disabilities by granting equal access to special conditions or preferential treatment offered to persons with disabilities across the EU by a wide range of services, activities or facilities, including parking. Social security, social assistance and other defined benefits and services, including some preferential conditions for accessing the latter, are excluded from its scope 4 . The Erasmus+ programme provides comprehensive inclusion measures, to allow for the participation of any social group regardless of their background. Additional costs directly related to persons with disabilities necessary for their participation in the mobility programme as well as in preparatory visits and for accompanying persons (including costs related to travel and subsistence, if justified and as long as not covered through other budget categories) can be supported at 100% on a real cost basis. Currently, there are no plans or proposals for a European framework on mutual recognition and coordination of personal assistance services. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32004R0883&qid=1760080119491. 2 See most recently Case C-116/23 XXXX v Sozialministerium, ECLI:EU:C:2024:292. 3 Article 70 and Annex X of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/2841/oj/eng – see Article 2(3).”
  EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility · EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• 2025-07-23 “E-003066/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The PigStun project 1 , financed by the Commission, aimed to encourage EU pig slaughterhouses using carbon dioxide at high concentration for stunning pigs to replace this stunning method with alternative stunning methods. Launched in 2023, the initiative focused on evaluating non-aversive gas mixtures and other promising systems to identify alternatives to high concentration CO₂ stunning. The project delivered concrete results, highlighting actionable solutions to enhance existing stunning practices to address operational challenges linked to them and mitigate welfare consequences associated with the use of CO₂ at high concentration for stunning. Proposed alternatives include improved electric stunning methods, inert gases systems and enhanced CO₂ protocols. Each alternative method proposed presents a unique balance of welfare, economic, and practical considerations (e.g., cost, ease of implementation). All the alternatives evaluated in the PigStun project are already included in the positive list of stunning methods in Annex I of Regulation (EC) 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing 2 . Therefore, they are authorised stunning methods in the EU so operators can use them without this use requiring changes to EU legislation. 1 https://eurcaw-pigs.eu/dossier/pigstun. 2 Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing.”
  EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
• 2025-06-30 “E-002624/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission 1.The financing of childcare providers organised within the national educational system falls outside the scope of EU State aid rules when the national educational system is financed entirely or mainly by public funds and not by pupils or their parents, so that public education may be considered a non-economic activity. In such cases, the Commission has no competence to investigate a potential distortion of competition with private providers offering comparable childcare services. 2. Private childcare providers can be financed by Member States if they are entrusted with the provision of a service of general economic interest (‘SGEI’). Article 2(1)(c) of the SGEI Decision 1 provides that it is possible to compensate childcare providers regardless of the amount. In such case, the compensation is exempted from notification. 3. A childcare service is non-economic when it is organised within the national educational system, which is financed entirely or mainly by public funds and not by pupils or their parents. The non-economic nature of public education is in principle not affected by the fact that pupils or their parents sometimes have to pay tuition or enrolment fees which contribute to the operating expenses of the system, if this fee only covers a fraction of the true costs of the service 2 . 1 Commission Decision 2012/21/EU of 20 December 2011 on the application of Article 106(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest, OJ L 7, 11.1.2012, p. 3. 2 Commission Notice C/2016/2946 on the notion of State aid as referred to in Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 262, 19.7.2016, p. 1, paragraph 29.”
  State Aid · EU Competition policy
• 2025-06-25 “E-002572/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission recognises that access to emergency communications and public warning systems are important elements in ensuring public safety, security and health. In this context, caller location information enhances the level of protection for end-users, and assists emergency services in performing their duties effectively. The Commission is continuously monitoring the implementation of the European Electronic Communications Code 1 (EECC) as most recently presented in the 2024 Report on the implementation of the EU emergency number 112 2 . The Commission also monitors the implementation of public warning systems, which are highlighted as important elements in both the Preparedness Union Strategy and the Ninistö report. Furthermore, pursuant to Article 122 and in line with Article 123 of the EECC the Commission is required to review the functioning of the Directive by 21 December 2025. The Commission is currently engaged in this review, including the provisions on emergency communications and public warning systems. 1 Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code. 2 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/2024-report-implementation-eu-emergency-number-112.”
  EU policy on accessibility of digital infrastructure
• 2025-06-11 “E-002348/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission Regarding the Honourable Members’ first question on Amazon’s 2022 antitrust commitments, the Monitoring Trustee appointed in accordance with the Commitments Decision 1 has been evaluating Amazon’s compliance and provides bi-annual reports to the Commission. The Commission has been carefully assessing both the Monitoring Trustee’s reports and Amazon’s compliance and is continuously engaging with both to ensure Amazon’s effective compliance with the commitments. In parallel, and as announced on 25 March 2024, the Commission has been taking steps to assess Amazon’s compliance with Article 6(5) of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act – DMA) 2 and continues to look into potential self-preferencing practices by Amazon on the Amazon Marketplace. Regarding the Honourable Members’ second question on Amazon’s automated pricing systems, the Commission is aware of the Federal Trade Commission’s and Bundeskartellamt’s investigations into Amazon’s pricing behaviour. The Commission is assessing Amazon’s compliance with Article 5(3) DMA and is closely coordinating with the Bundeskartellamt on the investigation into Amazon’s pricing practices. Regarding the Honourable Members’ third question on Amazon’s compliance report, the Commission shares the view that transparent and complete compliance reports are fundamental to ensuring that all relevant stakeholders can scrutinise DMA compliance. The Commission is engaging with Amazon to make sure that these reports are as informative and detailed as possible. 1 Commission Decision of 20 December 2022 relating to a proceeding under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement, Cases AT.40462 – Amazon Marketplace and AT.40703 – Amazon Buy Box, C(2022) 9442 final. 2 Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act), OJ L 265, 12.10.2022, p. 1–66.”
  EU rules on digital competition · Liability for online marketplaces
• 2025-06-10 “P-002322/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is driving a comprehensive approach to child protection mechanisms. Alongside its Better Internet for Kids strategy 1 , priorities include developing a digital identity framework, age verification and an enquiry into the impact of social media on mental health. The proposal for a Regulation to combat child sexual abuse 2 would create obligations for companies to systematically assess and mitigate online child sexual abuse and, if required, detect, report, remove or – in the rare cases where removal is not possible – block it. Directive 2011/93/EU on combating child sexual abuse 3 and its proposed recast 4 strengthen protections for children online by addressing digital threats, law enforcement cooperation and victims’ rights. It includes the criminalisation of inciting or aiding and abetting to commit child sexual abuse and exploitation offences. As outlined in ProtectEU: a European Internal Security Strategy 5 , the Commission will continue to support the co-legislators in finalising these proposals. Moreover, the Digital Services Act (DSA) 6 requires providers of very large online platforms and search engines, including X, to identify, analyse and assess systemic risks stemming from the design, functioning and use of their service (Article 34) and put in place reasonable, proportionate and effective mitigation measures (Article 35). The risk assessment shall include the dissemination of illegal content. The DSA also harmonises the conditions under which competent authorities are to order the removal of illegal content (Articles 9 and 10). The Commission has opened formal investigations into X, notably on the dissemination of illegal content 7 . The Commission has also published guidelines for the protection of minors in the framework of Article 28 of the DSA 8 . 1 European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/strategy-better-internet-kids. 2 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse, COM(2022) 209 final. 3 Directive 2011/93/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA, OJ L 335, 17.12.2011, p. 1–14. 4 Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast), COM(2024) 60 final. 5 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on ProtectEU: a European Internal Security Strategy, COM(2025) 148 final. 6 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market for Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1–102. 7 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_6709. 8 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-publishes-guidelines-protection-minors.”
  Privacy & detection of online child abuse · Safety features & content control for child protection online
• 2025-06-02 “E-002207/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission Directive 96/71/EC includes health, safety and hygiene at work in the terms and conditions of employment to be guaranteed to posted workers, regardless of whether they are third country nationals or EU citizens, in accordance with the host Member State rules. According to Directive 89/391/EEC 1 , to ensure that workers receive health surveillance appropriate to the health and safety risks they incur at work, Member States must introduce measures in accordance with national law and/or practices. As regards the obligation in Member States to keep or make available certain work-related documents in the host Member State (i.e. medical certificate), differences of form or content cannot justify keeping two sets of documents, one conforming to the rules of the sending and the other of the receiving Member State, if the information provided, as a whole, by the documents required under the rules of the Member State of establishment is adequate to enable the controls needed in the host Member State 2 . The obligation to provide health documents could be considered an obstacle to the freedom to provide services if they have already been required in the sending Member State, including for third country nationals. However, the duty to provide additional documents may be justified, if it is necessary to safeguard, effectively and by appropriate and proportionate means, the overriding public interest of the protection of the workers 3 . Member States should recognise the medical certificate issued by another Member State, but on a case-by-case basis, and depending on the content of the certificate. There are currently no planned measures to harmonise and recognise the equivalence of Member States’ national occupational health certificates. 1 Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, OJ L 183, 29.6.1989, p. 1. - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A31989L0391. 2 Judgement of 23 November 1999, Arblade, joined cases C-369/96 and C-376/96, ECLI:EU:C:1999:575 paragraph 64. - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=ecli:ECLI%3AEU%3AC%3A1999%3A575. 3 Judgement of 25 October 2001, Finalarte, C-49/98 and others, ECLI:EU:C:2001:564, paragraph 72. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:61998CJ0049.”
  EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• 2025-04-09 “E-001467/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission As set out in the mission letters from the Commission President, the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy and the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy were given the task to work on the Chemicals Industry Package and to provide clarity on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). For this, the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (DG GROW) and the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) work closely together the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) and other Commission services. For example, DG SANTE is following the discussions related to possible measures on PFAS in food contact materials and in medical devices in the context of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 1 and in food packaging in the context of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 2 . With respect to actions taken by the Commission to reduce the impact of PFAS on public health, including those under the remit of DG SANTE such as presence of PFAS as contaminants in food and their use as active substances in plant protection products, the Commission refers the Honourable Member to replies E-001626/2025 3 , E-000268/2024 4 , E-003754/2023 5 , E-002285/2023 6 and E-000375/2023 7 . The Commission is addressing PFAS contamination through different environmental and health legislation. Those pieces of legislation ensure that soil, (drinking) water and food comply with EU safety standards. Maximum levels for PFAS are set in drinking water and various foods. 1 Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2006/1907/oj. 2 Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste. ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/40/oj. 3 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html. 4 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html. 5 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html. 6 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html. 7 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html.”
  PFAs
• 2024-11-21 “E-002619/2024 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission While Member States are responsible for the organisation of health services and medical care, the Commission has taken several steps to facilitate access for rare disease patients to effective diagnostics and therapies. The Commission supports the European Reference Networks (ERN) 1 ; cross-border networks that bring together European hospital centres of expertise and reference to tackle rare diseases. ERN EYE 2 focuses on rare eye diseases. The Healthier Together initiative 3 supports Member States in addressing NCDs such as geographic atrophy. The Commission supports collaborative action and the sharing of best practices 4 with EU4Health funding 5 . The Expert Group on Public Health 6 provides a forum for exchange with the Member States on NCDs. Following an application, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommends whether a medicine can be authorised based on the assessment of its benefit risk balance. The EU pharmaceutical legislation reform 7 will make the EU system more attractive, increase competitiveness, and reduce red tape contributing to savings of EUR 300 million annually for industry and Member States. Simpler procedures and faster authorisation times will be introduced. Better use of real-world evidence and expedited pathways will accelerate access to new treatments. Regulatory sandboxes and adapted frameworks will enable early testing of innovative therapies, positioning the EU as a global innovation leader. The EU supports research on advanced therapies through the EU Research and Innovation Framework Programmes. It has funded 34 collaborative projects with EUR 220 million in Horizon Europe 8 . Remaining calls in Horizon Europe under Work programmes 2025 and 2026/2027 will also target advanced therapy approaches. 1 Rare diseases and European Reference Networks https://health.ec.europa.eu/rare-diseases-and-europeanreference-networks_en 2 ERN-EYE, a European Reference Network dedicated to rare eye diseases https://www.ern-eye.eu/ 3 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseasesinitiative_en 4 https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/dyna/bp-portal/ 5 https://health.ec.europa.eu/funding/eu4health-programme-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en 6 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/expert-group-public-health_en 7 https://health.ec.europa.eu/medicinal-products/pharmaceutical-strategy-europe/reform-eu-pharmaceuticallegislation_en 8 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en”
  EU competences on health · Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU
• 2024-11-11 “E-002486/2024 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The World Health Organization is responsible for the international classification of diseases 1 . The Healthier Together – EU non-communicable diseases (NCDs) initiative 2 was launched in 2022 to support Member States in reducing the burden of NCDs, including conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The Commission supports the collection and transfer of best and promising practices across the EU via the EU Best Practice Portal and with funding from the EU4Health programme. The priorities and actions to be taken forward under the Healthier Together initiative are agreed by the Member States in the Expert Group on Public Health (PHEG), the key forum for exchange with national authorities. The Commission recognises the need for solutions to efficiently tackle ME/CFS. Call topics 3 were recently opened under the Horizon Europe Programme 4 that offered researchers in the ME/CFS area an opportunity to apply for research funding. EU-funded projects studying long COVID 5 also stand to benefit the field. Horizon Europe will continue to offer opportunities for research funding, as call topics are broad enough to accommodate for more targeted ME/CFS research. The Commission remains committed to promoting collaboration among Member States on tackling existing and emerging public health challenges. 1 https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/classification-of-diseases 2 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseasesinitiative_en 3 These topics included: ‘Tackling high burden for patients, under-researched medical conditions’ https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-hlth2024-disease-03-14-two-stage and ‘Relationship between infections and non-communicable diseases’ https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-hlth2023-disease-03-07 4 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en 5 Projects include Long COVID - https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057553 and ORCHESTRA https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101016167. The Long COVID project will also study the response of patients with ME/CFS to certain therapies. The ORCHESTRA project has led to a better understanding of the determinants and clinical presentations of Long COVID syndrome, as well as the predictors of long-term fatigue.”
  EU competences on health
• 2024-10-10 “E-002014/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission shares the concerns of the Honourable Member about how design choices made by online platforms may exploit young users’ psychological vulnerabilities. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA) 1 , the Commission, opened its first formal proceedings against TikTok over its potentially addictive design features and its effects on minors 2 as well as over the launch of TikTok Lite in France and Spain 3 . In light of the Commission's stated intent to impose interim measures to suspend TikTok Lite’s rewards programme in the EU, TikTok decided to suspend the feature's launch in the EU. The Commission made TikTok’s commitments to permanently withdraw from the EU TikTok Lite’s Task and Rewards programme binding 4 . Recently, the Commission requested information from TikTok regarding its content recommendation algorithms and its role in amplifying systemic risks, including users’ mental well-being, and the protection of minors 5 . The Commission is developing guidelines to assist online platforms in applying the required high level of privacy, safety and security for minors on their services. Moreover, under Article 34 of the DSA, providers of very large online platforms like TikTok must carry out annual risk assessments, including as regards systemic risks linked to a high-level of consumer protection and the well-being of young users. The Digital Fairness Fitness Check analysed three EU consumer law Directives and pointed at targeted shortcomings regarding its application to digital commercial practices 6 . A key element of the Commission’s response to these challenges will be to develop a Digital Fairness Act to tackle unethical techniques and commercial practices related to the addictive design of digital services. 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1–102. 2 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-opens-formal-proceedings-against-tiktok-underdigital-services-act 3 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-sends-request-information-tiktok-regarding-launchtiktok-lite-france-and-spain 4 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/tiktok-commits-permanently-withdraw-tiktok-lite-rewardsprogramme-eu-comply-digital-services-act 5 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-sends-requests-information-youtube-snapchat-andtiktok-recommender-systems-under-digital 6 Press release, Commission evaluation shows the benefits and limitations of online consumer protection laws, 3 October 2024, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_4901”
  Recommender systems · Safety features & content control for child protection online
• 2024-10-08 “E-001986/2024 Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has taken good note of the publication in ‘Nature’ on the results of research and innovation that could help reduce emissions of nitrous oxide – a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) and damaging substance of the ozone layer – from application of fertilisers to soil. Research and innovation (R&I) on potential innovative solutions is an important part of the strategy to mitigate GHG emissions from agricultural activities. The Commission already supports many R&I activities on GHG mitigation, not least in relation to soil management. Horizon Europe, the current research and innovation framework programme 1 , can assist the further development of proofs of concept (POC), such as the one described in this publication, to higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) and to market uptake in a final stage. In addition, living labs 2 created under the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ 3 could help in testing such types of innovation in real-life conditions and with commercial farmers. Moreover, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) is continuously synthetising the scientific evidence on farming practices and their impact on environment and climate 4 , including GHG emissions. Through a combination of minimum obligations (enhanced conditionality) and voluntary interventions, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 provides a wide set of tools to boost sustainable farming across EU Member States, including efficient management of nutrients, thus reducing GHGs, water pollution and dependencies on chemicals. In their CAP Strategic Plans, Member States have planned interventions under Eco-Schemes and/or AgriEnvironmental and Climate Commitments to improve nutrient management that cover up to 15.5% of the utilised agricultural area. 1 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en 2 https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/living-labs 3 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/soil-deal-europe_en 4 https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/IMAP/Impacts+of+farming+practices+on+environment+and+climate”
  GMOs
• 2024-10-07 “E-001969/2024 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The issue of fraud concerns both imported products and products placed onto the EU market. As expressed in its replies to written questions E-000209/2024 1 and E-000343/2024 2 , the Commission sets out a series of measures to address honey adulteration at EU level. EU import certificates were reinforced with an authenticity requirement for exporting countries 3 . Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2652 of 15 September 2023 amending Article 13 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 4 also makes the import of honey possible only from listed establishments. Directive (EU) 2024/1438 5 introduced a mandatory indication of origin for honey blends and new provisions on traceability and authenticity. The Commission has also been entrusted with the task of adopting, by 14 June 2028, implementing acts laying down the methods of analysis to detect adulterated honey. Technical work is in progress to that end. Improved, harmonised and generally accepted analytical methods remain needed to increase the capability of official control laboratories to detect adulterated honey. The Commission is working on further developing these methods and will engage with the laboratory responsible for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses to better understand the results obtained. In addition, the Commission funds the Alliance project 6 to develop innovative solutions to ensure honey authenticity, and the WATSON project 7 will provide a set of tools and systems that can detect and prevent fraudulent practices across the entire food supply chain. It will demonstrate the solutions in six different use cases across a number of key food supply chains, covering important commodity groups in the European food system, including honey. 1 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html 2 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html 3 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 of 6 September 2022 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to requirements for the entry into the Union of consignments of food-producing animals and certain goods intended for human consumption: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2022/2292/oj 4 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2652 of 15 September 2023 amending and correcting Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 with regard to requirements for the entry into the Union of honey, meat, highly refined products, gelatine capsules, fishery products and requirements for private attestation and amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/630 as regards private attestation requirements for composite products exempted from official controls at border control posts http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2023/2652/oj 5 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32024L1438 6 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101084188 7 https://watsonproject.eu/”
  GMOs
• 2024-09-26 “E-001843/2024 Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission The killing of male chicks in the laying hens’ production sector has been discussed twice at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, in July 2021 1 and October 2022 2 . On these occasions, the Commission expressed its intention to investigate this issue and assess various options. Between 2019 and 2024, the Commission sought scientific opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the welfare at the time of killing for different species 3 . In its opinion related to killing poultry for purposes other than slaughter adopted in September 2019, amongst others, EFSA recommended encouraging the development and use of technology to prevent killing surplus/unproductive animals such as male day-old chicks from layers’ genotypes 4 . The Commission is currently considering EFSA’s recommendations while assessing the potential economic, social, and environmental impacts. This analysis is a key component of the Commission’s work to modernise the existing legislation on animal welfare. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/agrifish/2021/07/19/ 2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/agrifish/2022/10/17/ 3 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/animal-welfareslaughter#:~:text=EFSA%20publishes%20four%20scientific%20opinions%20on%20the%20welfare,of%20cons ciousness%20or%20sensibility%20in%20animals%20at%20slaughter 4 https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5850”
  EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
• 2024-09-26 “E-001836/2024 Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission According to Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), EU citizens are entitled to work in another Member State and enjoy equal treatment with nationals in access to employment, remuneration, working conditions (such as telework), dismissal and all other social and tax advantages. Article 45 TFEU and Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 1 on the freedom of movement for workers within the EU is directly applicable in the Member States. The Commission does not have competence to decide on individual cases for which solely national authorities and courts are competent. If an employer provides for the possibility to telework for a certain category of its employees, such a right should apply to this category of employees regardless of the residence of these employees unless the difference in treatment can be justified according to the criteria established by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The Commission does not know all the details of the case to fully assess the situation which is referred to by the Honourable Member. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:141:0001:0012:EN:PDF”
  EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers · Regulation of teleworking labour conditions
• 2024-09-16 “E-001719/2024 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission The German government has notified the temporary reintroduction of internal border control in accordance with Article 27 of the Schengen Borders Code 1 , indicating that it considers the reintroduction as a measure of last resort to address security risks related to irregular migration, including smuggling and terrorism. The temporary reintroduction of internal border control is a prerogative of the Member States. The Commission shall issue an opinion where it has concerns as regards the necessity or proportionality of that measure. Germany has explained that it considers the reintroduction both necessary and proportionate. It has stressed that it cannot sufficiently address the identified serious threats with alternative measures. It has indicated that border checks will be flexible and risk-based, and that the Federal Police strive to limit the impact on free movement and cross-border regions. The Commission is currently assessing the necessity and proportionality based on the notification and the additional information received from Germany. The Commission, including through its Schengen Coordinator, is in close contact with the German authorities and Member States concerned. It has stressed the importance of Member State cooperation at the internal borders. The Schengen Borders Code, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1717 2 , allows Member States to address security concerns with a range of alternative measures, including joint patrols and information exchange. Finally, the Commission actively encourages Member States to make use of the new transfer procedure under the amended Schengen Borders Code to apprehend third country nationals in internal border areas and transfer them to the Member State from which they arrived. 1 Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code), OJ L 77, p.1-52, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1717. 2 Ibid.”
  Asylum & border control
• 2024-09-02 “E-001582/2024 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission Analyses on the effectiveness of climate mitigation policies are welcomed and can contribute towards the EUs climate-neutrality objectives. The Commission routinely follows methodological developments in policy analysis, including those exploiting artificial intelligence, striving to incorporate new techniques in its work, including for the preparation of climate action proposals. The Commission notes the conclusion on the potential for synergies with the implementation of coherent policy packages. This re-affirms the EU’s approach under the fit for 55 package, implementing a broad range of measures to tackle climate change. Combining pricing and non-pricing measures, such as standards and mandates, can maximise synergistic effects. The study underlines the effectiveness of carbon pricing, such as the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS 1 ), in lowering emissions, particularly in electricity generation and industry. The Commission also notes the finding that the impact of a specific policy tool may be heterogenous across sectors and countries, calling for caution against overgeneralising estimated effects. Furthermore, the employed methodology is not fine-tuned to detect smaller emissions reductions, meaning many effective measures with a smaller scope or a more gradual impact on emissions have not been highlighted. The headline figure identifying only 63 cases of effective interventions is therefore very likely underestimated, with elements of efficient EU climate action most probably being overlooked. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/eu-emissions-trading-system.html”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-09-02 “E-001581/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Vestager on behalf of the European Commission The Commission takes the impact that social media and excessive screen time can have on (young) people’s well-being and mental health very seriously. It has already taken action, in particular by initiating proceedings under the Digital Services Act (DSA) 1 against TikTok 2 , Instagram 3 and Facebook 4 to investigate whether these companies have infringed the DSA by failing to diligently assess the systemic risk associated with the algorithmic exposure to content that could potentially cause harm when encountered repeatedly and by failing to put in place reasonable, proportionate and effective mitigation measures that are tailored to this specific risk. Moreover, the Commission is drafting guidelines to assist providers of online platforms that are accessible to minors to comply with their obligation to put in place appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security of minors, on their services. The new Better Internet for Kids Strategy also proposes concrete measures to address the risks and challenges children face in the digital sphere 5 . Protecting the mental health of children and young people is one of the aims that the Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health 6 addresses, which has a flagship initiative to promote ‘healthy screens, healthy youth’. Additionally, the Commission adopted an initiative on integrated child protection systems to encourage national authorities to put in place systemic solutions to tackle violence against children, online and offline 7 . 1 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1–102. 2 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses#ecl-inpage-tiktok 3 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses#ecl-inpage-metaplatforms 4 See footnote 3. 5 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: A Digital Decade for children and youth: the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), COM(2022) 212 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2022:212:FIN 6 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a comprehensive approach to mental health, COM(2023) 298 final, https://health.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-06/com_2023_298_1_act_en.pdf 7 Commission Recommendation on developing and strengthening integrated child protection systems in the best interests of the child, C(2024) 2680 final, https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/36591cfb-1b0a4130-985e-332fd87d40c1_en?filename=C_2024_2680_1_EN_ACT_part1_v8.pdf”
  EU policy on mental health
• “Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be speaking in German. I've been here in this Parliament for 11 years now, and I have to say that, um, the issue of bees Ease is one that's been discussed a lot, and we've tried to find solutions to tackle it. And bees are dying for various reasons. One experts say, is the use of pesticides. Also, the way that, um, the land is managed, but also climate change, invasive species such as um, ones from insects, from Asia, the hornets. And this means that we have fewer and fewer pollinators. And we need to look at this holistically as part of a holistic approach, and take measures to tackle it. We are on the way to reducing the use of pesticides in Europe, and the ECJ has also banned neonicotinoids. And like that is perhaps an indirect measure. But it's very important for bees and with the nature restoration law. We tried to tackle the issue, but I think we forgot to include and involve farmers in the process. Which is important to do. And I have two questions for the commission. First of all, are there financial incentives for farmers if they want to pursue bee friendly farming? And secondly, will you, together with the Reference Laboratory for Bee Health, introduce a programme for more monitoring and control? And thirdly, will you control when and how the honey from China will be imported? There is an obligation to label this, but what is what is the plan to prevent this honey from entering our markets? Thank you.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “Thank you very much. President. Madam Commissioner, distinguished colleagues, year in, year out, we debate forest fires and it is time we heard from those who actually put the fires out are firefighters, majority of whom are volunteers. And they deserve not only our respect but also tangible support. And we need to offer them ways of doing their jobs and make it easier for them. A couple of points I want to raise. First of all, the social status of many of our volunteer firefighters. That should not be an obstacle. Anybody who protects our lives should not be financially disadvantaged under our social security systems. Second point we need to look at the. System of fire hoses, for example, which we have in Belgium, and we have the standard in the Netherlands, and these are two neighbouring countries, which means that in the case of joint deployment, a lot of time is wasted and time wasted costs lives potentially. That is why we need to think of disaster protection in European terms. And so let's continue to work with one another. Thank you.”
  EU volunteering programs
• “Chair. Now we're talking about children and the use of social media. We have two problems emerging. First of all, the number of hours that children are consuming social media. A study from the United States that eight year old children are using social media six on average, six hours a day. I think that says everything. In fact, the second problem, the problem with the content. And now we've just described, uh, porn use of violence. Of course, even, uh, even grown ups are afraid of such things. I don't have five children, But I know exactly that right now. The children are. What kind of. What kind of information? These children are consuming. These devices make children dependent, and you can see what an influence this consumption of social media platforms has on the behavior of children. So it's not really a question of well, when we do something, but rather we have to affirm the fact that we have to do it now. So it's with these platforms that we're discussing. Some people say, well, this is very difficult. It's technically difficult. We have VPNs, so I don't send my children to go see a movie that is for 18 and up. And of course, someone at the cinema is going to check the age of the child. So and this and people say, well, that's not possible online. So my question for the commission. Are you really going to take this to heart and really have a limitation introduced, and wouldn't it be a good idea? Secondly, whether to look at this age limitation and do this together with the parents, because I think the biggest problem is, is the children should be the parents of the children should be checking to see what the children are doing, and they simply don't know, and they just don't really care what they're doing. So we have to protect the children, but we also also have to involve the parents. Thank you very much.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “(16:39:05 – 16:42:21): you very much. Chairman, colleagues allow me to speak first because I have to dash off to Envy in a few minutes. That's on the strategy on fire damage. So I wanted to keep this brief. In Envy, I am working on the proposal on the civil protection mechanism. The lead colleagues are missus Panjin and Fariga. Now I wanted to hear what experts think of what we are setting down in the civil protection mechanism right now. Critical infrastructure and measures to better manage crises, whether they're human caused or natural crisis. Well, I don't find the proper reflection of this in the text. In the commission's text, it says that assessments are just coordinated what member states already have to do with CER in this too. So shouldn't these reports that are not necessarily going to be listened to, or are they going to build upon existing texts? When it comes to hybrid threats and we've got critical infrastructure that could be affected, the text doesn't really say what has to be done. The solution that we're gonna have to discuss and that we're putting forward is that this central hub that the commission is prevented from presenting, is that going to have to be in the ERCC? And in that hub, all of that information is going to flow into one hub. So there's one center where all the information is flowing in, and where necessary, when critical infrastructure is threatened or destroyed, then member states that can help should be able to help rapidly to deal with the damage. It's not going to be a new institution. This hub is not going to have any, it's not gonna take any competences away from the member states. It's all framed and designed in such manner that we're not creating a parallel system, but something that actually works immediately and where information flows in. That's important for the Liebe Committee because we're getting information from Europol and etcetera, etcetera. Everything is going to come together in one place, but that still has to be negotiated. In the text, we don't have it stated clearly that we need to react quickly. I think that's something that has to be written in there, that expert teams would need to be set up to repair the critical infrastructure in the event of an attack or a natural disaster. There would be people who can concentrate on that critical infrastructure and get it working again. That's not stated in the text. I think it would be a good idea if we wrote something along those lines in there. I guess we could get majority there, but it's a question of the interfaces. I see that there's a lot of work ahead of us.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• “So I mean it's crazy even to say this. So the request was very clear. Please, please give us one system, one platform, and please tell us. For the people who don't know the legislation in the countries we're posting to, what labor requirements apply there? We can't know that. So that was a message. I took it with me. The commission proposed what's there as an option. And I'm just a bit worried that if we're not clever about this at the end of the process, it's going to be even more complicated, because on top of the 27, we're going to have an additional 28, which isn't going to work. Um, just one final sentence, if I can add it, please. Let's come up with a, a system. Uh, the most simple thing will be one system where member states can be very flexible. Apply all the points which are there now, because that would mean that we are solving a problem because we'll be making much more simple than it was beforehand. And then we can say to these SMEs, we've done it. Well, if we don't do it correctly, it's going to get even more complicated.”
  Platform workers
• “Thank you very much indeed, chair. An integrated forest fire risk management initiative. That's all well and good in the EU. We've got we're advanced enough to come up with this initiative to plan it. And I think the thought, the notion itself is new and it's good to have an initiative tackling the issue. That's very valuable. My green colleague said that, of course, resilient ecosystems are an important tool to tackle and limit fires. But let's not be naive and say that resilient ecosystems are enough. There will continue to be fires caused by humans, and we need to find an answer to that now. I can only fully echo what Gregory Allen said. We need to ensure that we have the capacity in Europe to build a firefighting planes and helicopters. Because perhaps we don't have the two right commissioners here to tackle this problem. But I think these two commissioners, together with your colleague, your colleagues, should perhaps take another step towards solving this problem. We talked about the issue of volunteer firefighters as well. And that needs to be resolved. And then the European Civil Air Uh, mechanism. Now, there we're talking about forest fires as well.”
  EU policy on infrastructure for preventing climate-related disasters (floods, droughts, extreme weather etc.)
• “Thank you very much, Commissioner. Thank you very much. Circular economy. Means collection, recycling and looking at the market aspects as well. So we have the we have visited the recycling plants in. Ghent, and we've seen how plastics have been recycled, how the collection process, that it's very positive, the recycling is very efficient as well. But and now you said that recycled, uh, products that what we have in Europe is of the highest quality in Europe. Uh, but, uh, unfortunately, recycled goods from China and the United States have taken over, and we don't have this remarketing of these particular products. And those who have invested in this circular economy on this particular front have a number of different financial problems right now. So how can we reorganize the market so that we have a fair remarketing of these recycled products or marketing of these recycled products, uh, adhering to the very strict standards here in Europe, not allowing for this infiltration from U.S. and Chinese products, creating a price, a final price for the consumer, that is one which is competitive as well. So that this circular economy, of course, read a certain amount of protection once again in order to protect it from imports from abroad. Thank you very much.”
  Circular economy
• “But when one thing that's missing from the strategy is the cross-border aspect, many forest fires are cross-border fires. And this hasn't been mentioned in the strategy in the new CPM text. I think we've said on 30 occasions that member states should share information and help each other. I think that's a cross-border approach, and that's crucial here. And then from our point of view. If we're looking at sustainable biodiversity, investing in sustainable agriculture, then we want to ensure that farmers remain economically viable but don't end up between a rock and a hard place. They may be forced to take so many measures that their business is no longer economically viable. But yes, I think that farmers are on the front line here. So those are my two questions. Firstly. Cross border approaches. Do you agree that that's what we need? That has to be in the text. Secondly, how do we fill the financial holds up to 2028? There were things that we want to fund up to 2028. But if the funds are available from 2028, I'm sure there are going to be fires before then. How can we bridge this gap? Thank you.”
  Management of EU forests
• “Thank you. Chair. Colleagues. The experts, thank you very much for the really very interesting presentations on protection and safety of workers in Europe, which is absolutely one of the core obligations that we have as legislators. Occupational safety and health, therefore, can't be an issue of second order. It's a core of our social policy in Europe and high risk groups exposed to physical risks and sometimes even a matter of life or death. And as co-chair of the Intergroup Civil Resilience with Tagliaferro. It's wonderful to have a firefighter here with us today, and that really deserves our full attention. These people are exposed to situations. They run into situations which we run out of. They protect life, property and our society as a whole. It's in the nature of the profession that they're exposed to these risks of toxic substances, extreme heat and mental stress. As the guest very clearly pressed, without this commitment, many much simply wouldn't work. So we need to make sure that these men and women are not just recognized, but protected as best as possible with modern PPE, clear prevention standards through optimal equipment and support and assistance, and clear European conditions, all experts agree safety at the workplace is important for workers, so it's important for our society as a whole and the need for protective measures. That plea, above all at a European level, was very clear. And this appeal, this plea should be taken very seriously. So direct questions to Mr. Tagliaferro when if you're on the site, it's close to Christmas. If you had one wish that something that you want the European level to do to push forward, what would it be? Thank you.”
  EU rules on hazardous working conditions
• “Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I've been in the EPP for 11 years, and I've attended many hearings. When I listened to the answers today. Well, either this is an advertising film. Or it's a trial, and the accused has decided not to respond, not to incriminate themselves. That's the feeling that you get. In 2022. There was a report in which the incidents mentioned here, um, came under the spotlight, the surveillance. There was a decision from 2024 from the French Data Protection Agency, and a fine was imposed. And despite all of that, I still get the feeling. That the arguments aren't being responded to. There was an analysis from 2020 Which said that the rates of high violations or serious violations at Amazon are twice as high as elsewhere. Amazon. How can you explain this? If everything was rosy, we wouldn't have those figures. And in Belgium, Amazon works with a lot of subcontractors. Drivers and their vehicles are in a terrible condition. To me this looks like social dumping. How do you check on the quality standards of the subcontractors you employ? Or do you say that they're not subcontractors because they have to obey Amazon's instructions very precisely? In fact, it is bogus self-employment. Thank you.”
  Platform workers
• “Thank you. I am the rapporteur with Mr. Perez for the cohesion fund and for Interreg. In the last period, uh, I was in charge of negotiating Interreg on behalf of the parliament. Uh, the criteria were not changed very much, but there's less money available. That's not good news. And the situation is similar right now. At least, the European Commission has seen Interreg as a program in itself and defined it as. And and specified it as a specific program in that overall kind of sack of programs. And now for a small region, a small country, a border region where there's cross border activity. It's on the agenda. And I think we were big enough to be able to deal with that. We have enough to be able to deal with that. And we have pointed out that this is something that has to be emphasized now. It's important these Interreg programs were on border regions, where there's been cooperation between people on both sides of the borders, has been there for many years. We have to protect this. We have to promote this. And it is this cooperation, cross-border cooperation, which is extremely important for the European Union. People know each other. People work together effectively. And for Interreg, this is extremely important And I'm very glad that this Interreg program exists and this cross-border dimension is extremely important.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “Thank you. I've already done this and there is some a bit less nervous. You get something if it's well done. Sending was done about a year ago because in some member states there was huge social misuse. And it was particularly the companies who were also calling for this to have fair competition in these countries because post it well, not really posted workers were working at prices which were not competitive. So it was a call from the companies themselves. The EU responded to that and developed a system which came out of a system which is extremely complex. We have not one system, but 27 completely different ones, and that's actually the problem. Over the last four weeks in the border area where I live, I visited seven different companies, 50 to 80 employees who send people into two countries every day. And if you ask the people how they do this, if they've got problems with it, you get the same answer. Yes, it's horrendously complicated, and we do it with a maximum of two countries because for three we'd have to take on additional three people. They've already taken one extra person on for 50 people to to to post.”
  EU policy on labour exploitation in global supply chains