Dimitris TSIODRAS

Policy topics Dimitris TSIODRAS is active on

What Dimitris TSIODRAS has said (80)

• 2026-03-23 “Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission 11.5.2026 Written question On 1 April 2026, the Commission announced the first concrete measure to strengthen the Emissions Trading System (ETS), proposing an amendment to the Market Stability Reserve (the ETS’s built-in stabilisation measure) [1] reinforcing its role as a buffer to support market stability better equip the reserve to respond to future market developments, including supply tightness. The ETS accounts for around 11% of retail electricity prices for industry and 5% for households, remaining smaller than fuel costs, network charges, and taxes. A comprehensive ETS review, to be presented by July 2026, will strengthen the carbon market, and ensure a fair, cost-effective contribution to the 2040 climate target. On 22 April 2026, the Commission presented the AccelerateEU Communication [2] outlining immediate, targeted actions for Member States to deliver rapid and lasting relief to households and industry facing high energy prices. It also includes structural measures to improve energy efficiency and accelerate electrification by reducing the four components of energy bills-supply costs, network charges, taxes, and carbon costs — also in the longer term. The crisis highlights that long-term affordability depends on accelerating the clean energy transition. Scaling up domestic clean energy and energy efficiency will reduce fossil fuel imports and strengthen Europe’s energy independence. In this context, the Commission has launched reflections on a post-2030 framework, including a revision of the Governance Regulation together with the renewable energy and energy efficiency frameworks to modernise the Energy Union and climate action. [1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_666. [2] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/strategy/accelerateeu-strengthen-eu-energy-resilience_en.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources) · EU approach to electricity market and prices
• 2026-03-06 “E-000937/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission Drawing on the learning from the programmes under the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Commission’s proposal for the next MFF 1 foresees simpler and integrated support for stakeholders, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These include the use of a single work programme for the entire digital leadership window, a single rulebook, a common set of instruments, and a coherent approach to leveraging private investments through the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Competitiveness Fund 2 (ECF) InvestEU Instrument. The proposal also foresees dedicated actions to increase SME participation, business support and the establishment of the ‘EU for Business’ Network. The integrated approach between the ECF and the successor of Horizon Europe 3 will ensure a comprehensive support to the entire innovation journey from research to pilots, early industrialisation, manufacturing and deployment, with the EIC playing a key role. It aims to provide key infrastructure support. The ECF will have dedicated support for scaling up, such as the scale up facility under the ECF InvestEU Instrument, and support for advanced skills development needed by SMEs to develop and deploy innovative solutions. The Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 4 will be a policy framework for the ECF and National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). The State of the Digital Decade reports will ensure coordination and track progress towards the digital transformation, issuing semester-like recommendations on areas for reform and investment. 1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, ‘A dynamic EU Budget for the priorities of the future – The Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034’ (COM(2025) 570 final). 2 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783, repealing provisions of Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, and amending Regulation (EU) [EDIP] (COM/2025/555 final). 3 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695 (COM/2025/543 final). 4 Decision (EU) 2022/2481 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 establishing the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (OJ L 323, 19.12.2022, pp. 4–26, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/2481/oj).”
  Digitalization of public governance & administration · EU industrial funding
• 2026-02-24 “Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission 12.5.2026 Written question Addressing the challenges of non-compliant products imported from third countries via e-commerce is a key objective of the Commission. The Commission continues to implement the actions set out in the communication on e-commerce [1] , with several milestones already achieved. Controls on e-commerce imports carried out under the Priority Control Area [2] have strengthened enforcement at EU borders. Other measures include the setup of the electronic interface between customs and market surveillance systems — via the EU Single Window [3] , with a view to digitalise exchanges between the authorities, coordinated online enforcement actions, setting up new EU testing facilities, and investigations under the Digital Services Act [4] to ensure that platforms mitigate the risk of illegal products being disseminated . The Digital Product Passport (DPP) will improve transparency, traceability and enforcement across all harmonised products, not just specific sectors. While it has been already introduced in some legislation such as the Toy Safety Regulation [5] , the DPP is intended to be applied widely across the Single Market including for products subject to ecodesign requirements established under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation [6] . The Commission is also working on the revision of the Market Surveillance Regulation [7] as part of the forthcoming European Product Act. Its aim is to strengthen enforcement, including through clearer obligations, enhanced accountability and traceability of economic operators and identification of an EU-based responsible economic operator. The Commission is also exploring options to reinforce cooperation between Member States and enhance EU-level governance in market surveillance. [1] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/e-commerce-communication-comprehensive-eu-toolbox-safe-and-sustainable-e-commerce. [2] https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/customs-risk-management/customs-risk-management-framework-crmf_en. [3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02022R2399-20241017. [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32022R2065. [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L_202502509. [6] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj. [7] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02019R1020-20240523.”
  EU competences on consumer protection and product standards · EU Single Market harmonisation · EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices
• 2026-02-13 “E-000640/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The 2025 Single Market Strategy 1 put a focus on the most pressing barriers to the Single Market (SM): the Terrible Ten. To achieve tangible results, the barriers were broken down into concrete problems. The approach for addressing them was settled upon within the SM Enforcement Taskforce and endorsed by the Competitiveness Council. The work for each problem will be performed by an expert group or working group. Indicators will be agreed at the beginning of the process. The 2026 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report 2 assesses the functioning of the SM and of EU competitiveness using 29 key performance indicators (KPIs). It is accompanied by an overview of the implementation of the Single Market Strategy and the Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard 3 . It includes the simplification of the EU rules as KPI 3, measuring the projected annual administrative savings from the Commission’s adopted initiatives and indicating savings of EUR 15 billion for 2025. This KPI reflects the Commission’s objective of reducing administrative costs by EUR 37.5 billion (25%) by the end of the mandate, with an even higher target of 35% for small and medium-sized enterprises. The 2030 Consumer Agenda 4 also includes an action plan to address barriers preventing consumers from fully benefitting from the SM. Among others, it aims to strengthen the consistent and effective implementation, application, and enforcement of EU rules. Simplification and burden reduction is also an overarching priority of the agenda. As for indicators from a consumer angle, the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 5 monitors the consumer environment and measures the consumer sentiment across the EU, including the main problems that consumers are facing within the SM. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0500. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52026DC0046. 3 https://single-market-scoreboard.ec.europa.eu/. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0848. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/consumers/consumer-protection-policy/keyconsumer-data_en.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation · Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-01-30 “E-000388/2026 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The Commission committed in the Ocean Pact 1 to ensure that coastal communities and islands are protected and empowered so that they can adapt to the impacts of climate change. It plans to deliver a strategy on coastal communities and a strategy on islands by mid-2026. These upcoming strategies will provide a coherent approach towards supporting the development of coastal areas and communities through its sectoral policies, regional policy and planning tools. The European Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience 2 , to be adopted by the end of 2026, will set out a more ambitious, comprehensive and coherent EU approach to climate resilience and preparedness to become better prepared for and more resilient to the inevitable impacts of climate change. The Commission’s proposal for the next multiannual financial framework introduces national and regional partnership plans, combining EU funds implemented by Member States and regions. They will simplify rules and provide more flexibility to adapt to regional and local needs. Plans will support European objectives, such as promoting climate resilience. Each plan will have to meet a 43% climate and environment spending target. Moreover, the ‘do no significant harm’ principle will apply. The EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change 3 provides support to pioneer regional and local authorities to become climate resilient. This includes supporting the exchange of good planning practices, technical assistance, funding, as well as implementing and monitoring climate adaptation solutions. Also, several EU-funded Interreg programmes 4 support projects targeting islands and climate adaptation. This topic is also included in the Interreg Plan proposed under the next MFF. 1 COM(2025) 281 final. 2 https://climate.ec.europa.eu/news-other-reads/news/have-your-say-shape-europes-future-world-affectedclimate-change-2025-12-01_en. 3 https://mission-adaptation-portal.ec.europa.eu/index_en. 4 Such as the EUROMED Interreg programme, Baltic Sea Region Interreg programme.”
  Funding for OCTs and outermost regions · Climate efforts
• 2026-01-15 “Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission 16.3.2026 Written question The European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) [1] will mobilise an unprecedented budget for boosting European competitiveness, including the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Thanks to the consolidation of several programmes into a single fund, the ECF simplifies the funding landscape for SMEs, provides for a single rulebook and offers a single access point to EU funding: the Single Gateway. Moreover, the ECF InvestEU Instrument, building on the success of the InvestEU Programme [2] , will support access to finance for SMEs and help de-risk their investments. Evidence shows that direct financial support to SMEs is not enough on its own to support their scaling-up and that they need and benefit from dedicated advice at EU level. In this regard, the ECF will establish the EU for Business Network, building on the Enterprise Europe Network, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform and other networks, to simplify and streamline advisory and partnership services. The ECF will also provide project advisory, building on the InvestEU Advisory Hub, unifying advisory support to project promoters, including SMEs, in structuring and improving their investment projects. The ECF proposal does not set a specific target for SMEs, as this would reduce the flexibility of funding. Instead, each ECF policy windows will support dedicated, sector-specific actions targeting start-ups, SMEs and small mid-cap companies or calls for SMEs. The ECF focus on value chains will also benefit SMEs, building on territorial strengths of Member States and regions, ensuring wide geographical coverage. ECF tools such as the Value Chain Builder and the Tech Frontrunners will promote the participation of SMEs from across the EU in these projects. [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025PC0555. [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02021R0523-20251110.”
  EU industrial funding
• 2025-11-10 “P-004437/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF-E) is the EU funding programme supporting investments in cross-border energy infrastructure, including electricity interconnections. Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) are eligible to apply for financial support from CEF-E. Since its creation in 2014, CEF-E supported 124 PCIs with EUR 8 billion for works and studies. For the next multiannual financial framework, the Commission proposed 1 in July 2025 to increase the budget of CEF-E more than five-fold to EUR 29.9 billion, further incentivising investment in cross-border energy infrastructure benefitting the EU as a whole. In recent years, different permitting acceleration provisions have been introduced in the European energy legislation. However, electricity grids have always only been partially covered by such measures. The Commission adopted the Grids Package on 10 December 2025, which will propose streamlining permitting procedures for grids, renewable energy generation and storage projects, as well as recharging points. It also, among others, strengthens the cross-border energy infrastructure planning with the aim to ensure that all cross-border grid infrastructure needs are addressed whilst ensuring that current infrastructure is used in an optimised way. Moreover, one of the eight Energy Highways involves priority infrastructure projects across South-East Europe. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025PC0547.”
  EU industrial funding · EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects · EU energy infrastructure integration
• 2025-11-07 “E-004413/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is currently preparing the proposal to revise the Cybersecurity Act (Regulation (EU) 2019/881) to better address evolving cyber threats. This initiative will, among others, strengthen and modernise the mandate of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). In light of the rapidly evolving cyberthreat landscape and the increasing role that ENISA is expected to play in line with recently adopted cybersecurity legislation, the revision of the Cybersecurity Act is an opportunity to enhance ENISA’s impact and to better equip the Agency to fulfil its tasks. The updated mandate should reflect ENISA’s critical contribution in strengthening the EU cyber ecosystem, offering robust support to relevant operators and Member States to bolster the EU’s cyber posture. The proposal for a revision of the Cybersecurity Act is planned for adoption in the first quarter 2026.”
  Cybersecurity investments for critical infrastructure
• 2025-10-21 “E-004143/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The Commission’s proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 (‘MFF’) 1 aims to enhance the EU's capacity to deliver on core policies such as health policy priorities, including public health. The proposed European Competitiveness Fund 2 includes a policy window on Health, Biotech, Agriculture and Bioeconomy with a dedicated budget of EUR 20.4 billion in current prices. Complementing this amount, EUR 19.65 billion would be available for collaborative research and innovation activities under the proposal for Horizon Europe for the period 2028-2034 3 . Among other activities, the Commission would foster health promotion and disease prevention, and strengthen the efficiency and resilience of health systems. Enhancing the growth of health and biotechnologies would not only increase the competitiveness of the health and biotech sector but also help to ensure the availability of essential medicinal products, medical devices and digital solutions. New and updated Country-Specific Recommendations on health in the coming European Semesters are envisaged to help guide Member States in prioritising reforms and investments under the National and Regional Partnership Plans, as proposed for the new MFF. The proposal for a new Union Civil Protection Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response- UCPM-HER legislative proposal 4 - aims to harness synergies between EU action on civil protection and health emergency preparedness and response. Overall, the Commission proposes that EUR 10.7 billion are available under this new UCPM-HER legislative proposal. 1 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A dynamic EU Budget for the priorities of the future - The Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 COM/2025/570 final. 2 Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities, repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/522, (EU) 2021/694, (EU) 2021/697, (EU) 2021/783, repealing provisions of Regulations (EU) 2021/696, (EU) 2023/588, and amending Regulation (EU) [EDIP] COM/2025/555 final. 3 Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing Horizon Europe, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, for the period 2028-2034 laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/695, COM/2025/543 final, Article 6 (2) (b) (i): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025PC0543. 4 Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response, and repealing Decision No 1313/2013/EU (Union Civil Protection Mechanism, COM/2025/548 final.”
  EU industrial funding · EU research funding
• 2025-10-03 “E-003891/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The Commission already supports Member States in reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, under the ‘Healthier Together’ initiative 1 . While Member States remain responsible for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care in accordance with Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the EU supports national health policies. More than EUR 180 million from the EU4Health Programme 2 have been allocated to actions on cardiovascular diseases and disease prevention more broadly 3,4 . The future EU Cardiovascular Health Plan is envisaged to support national efforts and the integration of digital and personalised solutions on prevention, early detection and treatment. The plan also intends to address the research and innovation gap, and health inequalities in the EU 5 . The Commission intends to identify funding opportunities under the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Regarding the next MFF (2028–2034), the Commission’s proposals (16 July and 3 September 2025) foresee a nearly EUR 2 trillion budget 6 , with a stronger focus on research and innovation (Horizon Europe proposed in the health related window nearly EUR 20 billion 7 ), a European Competitiveness Fund including a ‘Health, Biotech, Agriculture and Bioeconomy’ policy window with EUR 22,6 billion, and reinforced EU support for health emergency preparedness. Interinstitutional negotiations are ongoing, and adoption is pending. 1 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/healthier-together-eu-non-communicable-diseasesinitiative_en. 2 https://health.ec.europa.eu/funding/eu4health-programme-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en. 3 https://www.preventncd.eu/. 4 https://jacardi.eu/. 5 https://health.ec.europa.eu/non-communicable-diseases/expert-group-public-health_en. 6 https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/eu-budget-2028-2034-stronger-europe-2025-07-16_en. 7 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/horizon-europe-20282034-twice-bigger-simpler-faster-and-more-impactful-2025-07-16_en.”
  EU competences on health · Public and private sectors role in healthcare services
• 2025-10-01 “E-003806/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission The proposed Performance Regulation (Article 4(2)) 1 for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2 provides that all programmes and activities shall achieve an overall spending target of at least 35% for climate action and environment, including water resilience. The proposal also extends the water intervention fields compared to the current MFF and ensures a consistent application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle, benefiting also water resilience. Efficient water management, w ater quality and resilience are mentioned among objectives of the main proposed funding programmes. They are key to the proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans Regulation’s goals. The proposed European Competitiveness Fund 3 will also enable to directly invest in water resilience and to use financial instruments to boost investments like, e.g. nature-based solutions. Water resilience is also an important topic in Reseach & Innovation. It is at the core of the Mission Oceans and Water 4 as well as the Soil 5 and the Climate Adaptation 6 Missions. Under the 2021-2027 MFF, as part of the Cohesion policy mid-term review 7 , water resilience is one of the key priorities. Member States are encouraged to increase ‘water resilience’ investments, via incentives such as higher co-financing rates. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025PC0545. 2 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/eu-budget/long-term-eu-budget/eu-budget-2028-2034_en. 3 https://commission.europa.eu/publications/european-competitiveness-fund_en. 4 https://maritime-forum.ec.europa.eu/theme/research/mission-ocean-andwaters_en#:~:text=With%20a%202030%20target%2C%20the%20EU%20Mission%20%22Restore,research%20 and%20innovation%2C%20citizen%20engagement%20and%20blue%20investments. 5 https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/. 6 https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/mission/the-mission. 7 Regulation (EU) 2025/1914 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2025 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1058 and (EU) 2021/1056 as regards specific measures to address strategic challenges in the context of the mid-term review, OJ L, 2025/1914, 19.9.2025.”
  EU policy on water management · EU policy on infrastructure for preventing climate-related disasters (floods, droughts, extreme weather etc.)
• 2025-09-22 “E-003650/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission EU legislation pursues a balanced approach ensuring a high level of consumer protection whilst avoiding over-prescriptive and burdensome requirements for traders. EU general consumer protection legislation requires traders to be transparent and prohibits misleading practices towards consumers. It complements more specific requirements under EU food legislation. Price transparency towards consumers is ensured by the requirement for every seller to indicate not only the product’s selling price but also its ‘unit price’ (price per kg or litre) under the Price Indication Directive 1 . This additional information enables the consumer(s) to check the product’s ‘real’ price and to compare it more easily for alternative products with different packaging sizes. In addition, the Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers 2 provides for the mandatory indication of the net quantity and the list of ingredients on foods. It furthermore requires this information to be easily accessible, easily visible and clearly legible on the product’s package or label, and the net quantity to appear in the same field of vision than the name of the product, thus ensuring that consumers always have easy access to this information also in case of changes in weight or composition. Finally, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 3 complements these instruments prohibiting all misleading business-to-consumer practices. Member States’ authorities and courts are responsible for the enforcement of these legal requirement in individual cases. The Commission will continue to closely monitor market developments and support competent authorities in protecting consumer interests and ensuring market transparency. 1 Directive 98/6/EC on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products offered to consumers. 2 Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation. 3 Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘Unfair Commercial Practices Directive’).”
  EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
• 2025-09-05 “E-003454/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission On 27 July 2025, the Presidents of the Commission and the United States (US) reached a political agreement on tariffs and trade. The Joint Statement of 21 August 2025 1 sets the framework for EU-US trade relations, including the new tariff treatment for most EU exports. Since 7 August 2025, most exports face a 15% tariff, unless a higher most-favoured-nation rate applies. This tariff treatment safeguards EU exporters’ competitiveness on the US market, particularly in agriculture, where tariffs are generally higher. Still, the Commission is aware that some EU agri-food exports will face higher tariffs compared to same time last year. Importantly, the Joint Statement also provides a pathway for further carve-outs, and the Commission will actively push for products of key EU interest, such as wines and spirits, as well as other sectors. The Commission has tabled two legislative proposals to improve market access for certain non-sensitive US agri-food products. These limited liberalisations are not expected to trigger import surges because of limited volumes concerned and the competitiveness of relevant EU agri-food products. But they will reduce costs for specific products of EU interest. The Commission will monitor the impact of EU-US deal on the agri-food sector and will continue to engage with the US to ensure balanced implementation. If needed, steps may be taken to address market disturbances and stabilise markets through the Unity Safety Net (former agricultural reserve), which will be reinforced under the proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (from EUR 450 million per year in the current period to EUR 900 million in the new MFF). 1 https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/joint-statement-united-states-european-union-framework-agreementreciprocal-fair-and-balanced-trade-2025-08-21_en.”
  EU-US trade relations · Export of EU agri-food products
• 2025-07-29 “P-003129/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission Control measures for sheep pox and goat pox (SGP) are laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 1 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 2 and include the kiling of all animals in the affected establishments and the establishment of restricted zones around the outbreaks. Vaccination can be used as an additional measure in line with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/361 3 . Costs of certain disease control measures are eligible for EU co-financing up to a maximum of 30% of the eligible costs in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2021/690 4 and Commission Implementing Decision C(2023) 8926 5 . EU financial support for SGP surveillance is also available in high risk areas through two cofinanced programmes (TADs and THRACE). The EU SGP vaccine bank can ship up to 500.000 doses of vaccine free of charge (no request received from Greece to date). Exceptional support 6 may be granted, at the request of the Member State concerned, to take account of restrictions on intra-Union and third-country trade, which may result from the application of measures for combating the spread of diseases in animals. The support would cover market losses incurred by farmers located in an area put under movement restriction by veterinary measures, but not on an infected farm 7 (no request received from Greece to date). Support can be provided under the Greek Rural Development Programme 2014-2022 8 and the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027 9 for investments aiming at the restoration of agricultural potential following catastrophic events. Measure 23 (M23) provides liquidity support to farms suffering a 30% loss of production or potential, including in the case of animal diseases. It is up to the Managing Authorities to allocate funding to such interventions. 1 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj. 2 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj. 3 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2023/361/oj . 4 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/690/oj. 5 Commission Implementing Decision of 21.12.2023 on the financing of the Programme for the internal market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European Statistics and the adoption of the work programme for 2024-2027, C(2023) 8926 final, in particular Annex 3: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6150e32-3fa5-4276-923ba36faf4fec1e_en?filename=C_2023_8926_F1_COMMISSION_IMPLEMENTING_DECISION_EN_V3_P1_31 19489.PDF. 6 Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/2024-11-08). 7 These measures are by nature limited in time, for the duration strictly necessary to support the market concerned and they require a clear start and end of the episode, and all losses specifically documented before the Commission can design a measure and propose it for the opinion of the Member States. 8 https://www.agrotikianaptixi.gr/metra-paa-pages/ependytika-epicheirimatika/. 9 https://www.agrotikianaptixi.gr/category/sskap-2023-2027/sskap-egkrisi-tropopoiiseis/.”
  Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU · Agricultural funding
• 2025-07-25 “E-003096/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission On 27 July 2025, the President of the European Commission and the President of the United States (US) reached a political agreement on tariffs and trade. The Joint Statement on an EUUS framework on an agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade, issued on 21 August 2025 1 , outlines the key parameters for the relations between the EU and US going forward. As per the Joint Statement, the US modified the tariff vis-à-vis the EU exports to an allinclusive 15% tariff rate, except where the most favoured nation (MFN) tariff is higher, in which case this higher tariff prevails without any top up. The EU is the only US trade partner that has obtained an all-inclusive tariff rate. For all other trading partners (with the exception of Mexico and Canada), the reciprocal tariffs are added on top of the applicable MFN tariffs. The new tariff treatment therefore puts EU exports, including those of dairy products, wine or other products, in an advantage compared to other exporters around the world, as the tariffs for agri-food products are generally higher. The Joint Statement restores stability and predictability in trade relations between the EU and the US. Therefore, the Commission is not considering activating measures to support affected sectors but will continue to monitor market developments and, take steps to protect farmers and stabilise markets as necessary. 1 https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/joint-statement-united-states-european-union-framework-agreementreciprocal-fair-and-balanced-trade-2025-08-21_en.”
  Export of EU agri-food products · EU-US trade relations
• 2025-07-14 “E-002869/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission acknowledges the concerns raised on the misuse and counterfeiting of geographical indications, which have significant economic and health implications. While the responsibility for controls lies with the Member States, the Commission works with them to enhance the effectiveness of controls and ensure consistent enforcement across the EU. Regarding the misuse of geographical indications, Regulation (EU) No 2024/1143 1 provides a robust framework for their protection. This protection also applies to goods in transit, sold by means of distance selling, such as electronic commerce and intended for export. 2. The Commission takes a comprehensive approach to enforcing intellectual property rights, including geographical indications, both in the EU and globally. It coordinates efforts between Member States and relevant agencies by sharing best practices, providing technical assistance and supporting joint operations to combat counterfeiting, while the Commission Recommendation on combating counterfeiting provides guidance to Member States and stakeholders to prevent, detect and respond to counterfeiting activities. The Commission engages with international partners through trade agreements and intellectual property dialogues and working groups to ensure effective, adequate protection and enforcement It also operates various EU-funded technical assistance and international cooperation programmes to strengthen the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, in third countries. Moreover, Europol supports law enforcement cooperation against food counterfeiting: in 2024 an EU-wide operation took off the market EUR 91 million worth of counterfeit and substandard food 2 . 1 Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024). 2 https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/eur-91-million-worth-of-counterfeit-andsubstandard-food-seized-in-europe-wide-operation.”
  EU policy on custom fee on non-EU imports
• 2025-07-07 “E-002751/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission France has submitted, in May 2025, a dossier to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) proposing a harmonised classification of sodium fluoride as endocrine disruptor for human health category 1 and as toxic for human reproduction category 1B under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation 1 . Only once the dossier is validated, ECHA will open a public consultation and the process for harmonised classification will begin. Should ECHA confirm these classifications as scientifically valid, the Commission will decide whether it is appropriate to include these harmonised classifications in the CLP Regulation. In that case, sodium fluoride would be banned in cosmetics, unless a derogation is requested, scientifically assessed and granted. It would be premature to already discuss alternative public health measures and implications for the EU oral care industry, before the classification process has been concluded and before any subsequent regulatory actions under the Cosmetic Products Regulation 2 have been assessed. The Commission is fully aware of the role of fluoride in preventing dental caries, as underlined by the World Health Organization and national health authorities. The Commission remains committed to supporting public health and promoting access to effective preventive care across the EU. The Commission is also conscious of potential implications that regulatory changes may have on economic operators, including small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as of its potential impact on workers. It would take account of risk/benefit aspects in the regulatory process under the Cosmetic Products Regulation. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02008R1272-20250201, OJ L 353, 31.12.2008, p. 1. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02009R1223-20250501, OJ L 342, 22.12.2009, pp. 59.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.) · Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU
• 2025-06-02 “E-002187/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission is already supporting Member States in addressing the recent World Health Organization’s resolution on rare diseases (RD) 1 by means of a strong EU framework based on a Council Recommendation 2 and a Commission Communication 3 on RD. The Joint Action JARDIN 4 on integration of the European Reference Networks (ERNs) for RDs into national healthcare systems will provide an overview of best practices, the RD landscape in the EU and inform any decisions on a possible EU action plan. Until then, EU actions on RD will continue in their current form. 2. The 24 ERNs support Member States in pooling RD resources and expertise, with specialists discussing patients’ cases across borders to find the best diagnosis and treatments, with expertise travelling and not the patients. Over 3,500 specialist panels have been conducted via an EU-funded Clinical Portal Management System (CPMS) 5 . The Commission also supports health systems by funding RD research and innovation, with more than EUR 120 million under EU4Health Programme and more than EUR 640 million in the first two years of Horizon Europe 6 . It funds actions such as collaborative research projects for RD therapies 7 or diagnostics, public-private projects 8 and the European Partnership on RD ERDERA 9 , co-funded with Member States. 3. Both JARDIN and ERDERA are supporting national policies on RD to identify, share and implement best practices. ERDERA encourages the establishment of ‘National Mirror Groups’ for RD policies in its 37 participating countries. JARDIN has established an ERNoverarching expert panel for undiagnosed cases unsolvable at national level, requiring interdisciplinary input. It will be incorporated into everyday activities of ERNs, including experts’ use of the CPMS. 1 https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(15)-en.pdf. 2 Council Recommendation of 8 June 2009 on an action in the field of rare diseases OJ C 151, 3.7.2009, p. 7–10. 3 Communication from the Commission of 11 November 2008 on Rare Diseases https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52008DC0679. 4 Joint Action on the integration of ERNs into national health systems (with EUR 15 million of EU funding), more information: https://jardin-ern.eu/. 5 https://ern-euro-nmd.eu/clinical-patient-management-system-cpms/. 6 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/health/rare-diseases_en. 7 https://cordis.europa.eu/programme/id/HORIZON_HORIZON-HLTH-2022-DISEASE-06-04-two-stage/en. 8 Such as RealiseD under the Innovative Health Initiative https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101165912. 9 European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (with up to EUR 150 Million of EU funding), https://erdera.org/ ; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101156595.”
  Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU · EU competences on health
• 2025-05-28 “E-002129/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission As mentioned in replies to written questions E-000209/2024 1 and E-000343/2024 2 , the Commission adopted measures to address honey adulteration at EU level. EU import requirements were reinforced with an authenticity requirement for exporting countries 3 and an amendment to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2292 4 made the import of honey possible only from listed establishments. Directive (EU) 2024/1438 5 amending the Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001, introduced mandatory origin labelling for honey blends and new provisions on traceability and authenticity. In particular, the Commission is to adopt, by 14 June 2028, implementing acts laying down methods of analysis to detect adulterated honey, and by 14 June 2029, delegated acts, based on feasibility studies, laying down methods and criteria to determine the place where honey has been harvested and Union-wide traceability requirements for honey from the harvesting producer or importer to the consumer. Technical work is in progress to that end in the framework of the Honey Platform. Beekeeping will remain a priority for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with targeted support aimed at strengthening the sector in response to climate change. This through support for advisory services, technical assistance, training and information, investments/actions to prevent damage caused by adverse climate and to adapt to climate change as well as cooperation for research. In addition, the proposed CAP simplification package 6 and future CAP proposals 7 , will grant Member States more flexibility and opportunities to further support their beekeepers by allowing payments per beehive for agri-environment-climate commitments/eco-schemes and under future coupled income support. 1 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html. 2 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/-ASW_EN.html. 3 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/36 of 11 January 2022 amending Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 as regards model certificates for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain live aquatic animals and products of animal origin. C/2022/18 OJ L 8, 13.1.2022, p. 36–91 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2022/36/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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202302652. 5 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32024L1438. 6 COM(2025) 236 final (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025PC0236) presented by the Commission on 14 May 2025. 7 COM(2025) 565 final (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0565&qid=1753801752960) and COM(2025) 553 final (https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0553) presented by the Commission on 16 July 2025.”
  Food labelling harmonisation at EU level · Import of agri-food products in the EU · Agricultural funding
• 2025-05-15 “E-001957/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission The EU pharmaceutical legislation regulates the online sale of authorised medicines to consumers within the EU. These rules also protect the legal supply chain from falsified medicines, as the online sale is only permitted via authorised online pharmacies identifiable through an obligatory logo 1 . The current EU Drugs Strategy 2 stresses the risks of misuse and diversion of controlled substances and the importance of capacity building and awareness-raising in this respect. The 2025 European Drug Report 3 also highlights the increase of synthetic drugs in the EU, the use of online platforms to sell illegally produced medicines, and the non-medical use of pharmaceutical products. In response, the Commission will propose measures to further strengthen the EU response in a new EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan against drug trafficking, as announced in ProtectEU 4 . The Digital Services Act (DSA) 5 contains specific provisions applicable to providers of online marketplaces, e.g. traceability of traders, compliance by design and consumers’ right to information 6 , and additional risk assessment and mitigation measures applicable to providers of very large online platforms (VLOPs) or search engines 7 . It aims to ensure that products sold on online marketplaces are compliant with relevant product safety, transparency and other legal requirements. To this end, the Commission engages in regular dialogue with providers of VLOPs which are online marketplaces and has opened investigations and initiated proceedings 8 . 1 This logo, established with Implementing Regulation 699/2014, only applies to EU online pharmacies and can be clicked to verify the authenticity of the pharmacy on the national regulatory authority's website, where all legally operating online pharmacies and approved retailers in their respective countries are listed. The Commission prepared communication materials to raise awareness on this logo. 2 EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025, OJ C 102I, 24.3.2021. 3 European Union Drugs Agency, European Drug Report 2025: Trends and developments, https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/european-drug-report/2025_en. 4 COM(2025) 148 final. 5 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), https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32022R2065. 6 Articles 30 to 32 of the DSA. 7 Articles 34 and 35 of the DSA. 8 Investigative actions in relation to Shein and Amazon and initiation of formal proceedings against AliExpress and Temu: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses; https://digitalstrategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-sends-request-information-amazon-under-digital-services-act; https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-requests-information-online-marketplaces-temu-andshein-compliance-digital-services-act; https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-opens-formalproceedings-against-aliexpress-under-digital-services-act; https://digitalstrategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-opens-formal-proceedings-against-temu-under-digital-services-act. In recent preliminary findings, the Commission has found AliExpress in breach of its obligation to prevent the risk of dissemination of illegal products. The Commission accepts commitments offered by AliExpress under the Digital Services Act and takes further action on illegal products: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1551.”
  Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU · Regulation of drug precursors in the EU
• 2025-05-02 “E-001795/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission The EU has strengthened the legislative framework regarding the protection of critical infrastructure, both from a physical 1 and cyber resilience 2 perspective. The ProtectEU Internal Security Strategy 3 stresses the importance of timely transposition and correct implementation of these directives. Through revised trans-European transport network (TEN-T) guidelines 4 , and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the Commission supports investments in resilient, climate-proof, and dual-use transport infrastructure across the TEN-T, including critical nodes, such as ports, rail hubs, and border crossings, as well as key cross-border energy infrastructure. According to the Directive on the resilience of critical entities (CER) 5 , Member States namely have to adopt a strategy on the resilience of critical entities and perform a risk assessment by 17 January 2026. The Commission continues to support Member States with implementing legislation, advice and guidelines, and facilitate the exchange of information and best practices. Additionally, EU level risk assessments on the cybersecurity of digital infrastructures and supply chains are being conducted by the Network and Information Security (NIS) cooperation group, supported by the Commission and the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), pursuant to Article 22 of the Directive on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS2) 6 . The European Preparedness Union Strategy 7 will support national preparedness efforts by fostering a culture of resilience through the engagement of all levels of society and improve central and cross-sectoral crisis response coordination and capability, by setting up an EU crisis coordination hub. Moreover, based on Commission proposals, the Council adopted an EU Critical Infrastructure Blueprint 8 in 2024 and an updated Blueprint for cyber crisis management in June 2025. 1 Directive (EU) 2022/2557 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on the resilience of critical entities and repealing Council Directive 2008/114/EC. 2 Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 and Directive (EU) 2018/1972, and repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148 (NIS 2 Directive). 3 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. 4 Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013. 5 See footnote 1. 6 See footnote 2. 7 Joint Communication from the High Representative and the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the European Preparedness Union Strategy, JOIN(2025) 130 final. 8 Council Recommendation of 25 June 2024 on a blueprint to coordinate a response at Union level to disruptions of critical infrastructure with significant cross-border relevance, OJ C, C/2024/4371, 5.7.2024.”
  Cybersecurity investments for critical infrastructure · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
• 2025-04-23 “E-001624/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The protection of minors online is a priority for the Commission. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), 1 providers of designated Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) 2 are required to conduct systemic risk assessments, considering inter alia actual or foreseeable risks to the protection of minors as well as a person’s physical and mental well-being, and to put in place effective mitigation measures to address these. These assessments should consider whether and how the design of the recommender systems may influence such risks. In addition, the providers of online platforms accessible to minors shall put in place appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security of minors. The Commission has taken swift action in relation to DSA enforcement and opened formal proceedings against the provider of TikTok 3 to assess whether it may have breached the DSA in relation to the protection of minors online and to the functioning of the recommender systems. The investigations are ongoing. If the Commission establishes a breach of the DSA, a fine of up to 6% of global turnover of the provider may be imposed. The Commission is developing guidelines on the protection of minors online under the DSA 4 as well as an Action Plan to counter cyberbullying. The Commission will also launch an EU-wide inquiry into the broader impacts of social media on well-being 5 . The European Strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) 6 promotes a responsible use of technology by supporting children, their carers and teachers through the awareness and education activities organised by the Safer Internet Centres and the information and training material available in all language on the BIK platform 7 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32022R2065. 2 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses. 3 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_926. 4 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-launches-call-evidence-guidelines-protection-minorsonline-under-digital-services-act. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf. 6 COM/2022/212 final. 7 https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online · Recommender systems · Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content
• 2025-04-11 “E-001509/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission adopted the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Continent Action Plan 1 and launched a public consultation 2 for the Apply AI strategy to identify key challenges for AI uptake in industrial sectors and public administration. The Commission’s efforts to support the digitalisation of public administrations include the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) 3 that support municipalities and regions in their digital transformation. Starting in December 2025, EDIHs will become Experience Centres for AI, accelerating uptake of AI inter alia in public administration. Moreover, the Commission will support up to four pilot projects with a EUR 21 million budget to accelerate the deployment of generative AI solutions in public administrations. The Commission has also promoted the creation of a Data Space for Smart Communities 4 to allow local and regional administrations to share local data and use Local Digital Twins. The CitiVERSE 5 initiative facilitates city planning using Extended Reality tools. Moreover, the Alliance for Language Technologies project 6 federates Member States to address the shortages of language data for AI 7 . 1 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/ai-continent_en. 2 The consultation closes on 4 June 2025. 3 https://european-digital-innovation-hubs.ec.europa.eu/home. 4 https://www.ds4sscc.eu/. 5 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/factpages/citiverse. 6 www.alt-edic.eu/about-us/. 7 The ALT-EDIC projects co-financed by the DIGITAL programme include ALT-EDIC4EU (€4M), LLMs4EU (€40M), and OpenEuroLLM (40 Mio) to improve the European Language Technology Ecosystem, the collection of high-quality data and the development of multilingual LLMs.”
  Artificial Intelligence · Digitalization of public governance & administration
• 2025-03-25 “E-001244/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is fully committed to ensuring that the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)) 1 is tailored to the needs of companies, and in particular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including start-ups (henceforth, SMEs). Under the Digital Europe Programme, the Commission finances a range of projects aimed at actively supporting SMEs, including the ‘SECURE’ project 2 , which will provide up to EUR 16.5 million of financial support to SMEs, the ‘Cyberstand.eu’ project 3 to raise awareness and fund more than 200 EU cybersecurity experts to work on harmonised standards, as well as projects focused on the development of automated tools to ease compliance. Additionally, the Commission intends to provide guidance to assist with the implementation of the CRA, with a specific focus on SMEs. In line with Article 33(5), the Commission will also adopt a simplified technical documentation form targeted at the needs of microenterprises and small enterprises, to alleviate the administrative compliance burden. The Commission has also established an informal expert group, where SMEs are represented, that will assist with the implementation of the CRA 4 . An administrative cooperation group of national market surveillance authorities will also be set up, to promote best practices and ensure the uniform application of the Regulation. In accordance with Article 33, Member States should also, where appropriate, put in place support actions tailored to the needs of microenterprises and small enterprises. Finally, European Digital Innovation Hubs will also provide support to SMEs, offering onestop shops that will assist companies to respond to digital challenges and to become more competitive 5 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2847/oj/eng. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projectsdetails/43152860/101190325 and https://secure4sme.eu/. 3 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projectsdetails/43152860/101158521 and https://cyberstand.eu/. 4 https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expertgroups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3967. 5 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/edihs.”
  Scope of EU cybersecurity obligations
• 2025-03-21 “E-001214/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network 1 of national authorities, facilitated by the Commission, operates to increase compliance with EU consumer legislation, such as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. A notable example of a CPC enforcement action concerning online sales of second-hand goods is the one against Vinted, successfully concluded in June 2024. 2 Following the 2025 sweep on online traders of second-hand goods, national authorities will decide the appropriate follow up in relation to the 185 traders identified for further investigation. They can require traders to comply with their obligations under the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU 3 and the Sale of Goods Directive, 4 following respective national procedures. Although the Commission lacks direct enforcement powers in this field, it plays a crucial role in coordinating many CPC Network activities, such as sweeps, and supporting authorities with clarifications and digital infrastructure (EU eLab). It also organises regular CPC Network meetings and seminars to enhance knowledge and collaboration across authorities. In addition, consumers have access to different means of individual and collective redress, such as alternative dispute resolution and representative actions. 5 The power to impose sanctions on traders always lies solely with the national authorities and courts within the current legal framework. To strengthen enforcement and better protect consumers against EU-wide law breaches while ensuring fair competition, the Commission is considering reviewing the CPC Regulation. 6 1 Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004. 2 Following a dialogue with the Commission and the CPC Network, Vinted improved its pricing information to bring their practices more in line with EU consumer law. For more, please see: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_3292. 3 Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights, amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 85/577/EEC and Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 64–88. 4 Directive (EU) 2019/771 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the sale of goods, amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 and Directive 2009/22/EC, and repealing Directive 1999/44/EC, OJ L 136, 22.5.2019, p. 28–50. 5 Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2020 on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers and repealing Directive 2009/22/EC. 6 See p. 17 of the https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0037.”
  EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
• 2025-03-07 “E-001009/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 1 prohibits traders from submitting or commissioning another person to submit false consumer reviews and from misrepresenting them, such as by only soliciting and making available positive reviews and deleting the negative ones. It also prohibits traders, e.g. platforms specialised in collecting and making available reviews, from presenting those reviews as consumer reviews if they do not take reasonable steps to check that they originate from consumers who had purchased or used the product. Traders must inform consumers about whether and how they ensure that the reviews that they make available originate from consumers who actually purchased or used the service. It is for Member States’ authorities and courts to enforce these rules. The Commission coordinates their work in cross-border cases under the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation 2 . The Commission is currently reflecting on a review of this Regulation to strengthen enforcement of Union consumer law and ensure a level playing field. Under the Digital Services Act 3 , providers of very large online platforms and very large online search engines are required to identify and mitigate the systemic risks stemming from the use of their services 4 , including risks posed by the inauthentic use of their services, such as fake reviews. In addition, the Commission promotes voluntary measures by online marketplaces through the Consumer Protection Pledge 5 . 1 Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council. 2 Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004. 3 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. 4 Articles 34 and 35 of the Digital Services Act. 5 The commitments signed in November 2023 by 11 major online marketplaces include measures to make consumer reviews more transparent and reliable by informing the traders operating on the marketplaces and the reviewers about the prohibition of fake reviews, requiring the reviewers to disclose any incentives received and ensuring impartial processing and presentation of reviews (https://commission.europa.eu/document/8d85b49181d4-487e-9de9-cb071c8dba41_en).”
  EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
• 2025-03-04 “E-000902/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission On 11 March 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Critical Medicines Act 1 to improve the availability of critical medicines in the EU and access to other medicines of common interest. The proposed Act provides a framework for Member States to request Commission support, under certain conditions, to use voluntary collaborative procurement tools for critical medicines and other medicines of common interest. Such procurements would help to make smaller markets more attractive to pharmaceutical companies, improving access and availability through economies of scale. In addition, the proposed Act supports investments for companies that increase EU manufacturing capacity of critical medicines through the designation of Strategic Projects. These industrial projects may benefit from facilitated access to funding and fast-tracked administrative, regulatory and scientific support. The proposed Act also provides measures to reduce reliance on third countries and strengthen the security and resilience of pharmaceutical supply chains through public procurement. For critical medicines, procurers would have to include a broader set of requirements in their procurement procedures. In case of high dependency on a single or a limited number of countries, they would also have to use procurement requirements that favour critical medicines production in the EU. This would also be possible for other medicines of common interest, when justified. Finally, strategic partnerships with other countries and regions would be explored to diversify the supply chains and reduce dependencies on single suppliers. 1 COM(2025) 102 final. Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL laying a framework for strengthening the availability and security of supply of critical medicinal products as well as the availability of, and accessibility of, medicinal products of common interest, and amending Regulation (EU) 2024/795.”
  Supply chain diversification requirements in medicine procurement · Government stockpiling of critical medicines · Joint EU procurement of medicines
• 2025-02-24 “E-000820/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission Established in 2021, the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission 1 aims to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030, through prevention, cure and for those affected by cancer including their families, to live longer and better 2 . Since 2023, the Commission has started a collaboration with the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health in the United States on childhood and lung cancer, in the context of the EU Cancer Mission and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan 3 . More recently, the EU Cancer Mission has started working with Japan. Moreover, the Commission will establish a European ecosystem for clinical research, with additional contributions from the planned Life Sciences Strategy and the Biotech Act. In line with the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy 4 , the Commission, in coordination with the European Investment Bank Group, will work with large institutional investors to develop a voluntary European Innovation Investment Pact for those who commit to invest part of their assets under management into EU funds of funds, venture capital funds and unlisted scaleups. The Strategy also announces European Innovation Council 5 expansion and a Scaleup Europe Fund. Other actions include the development of i) a framework for intellectual property (IP) valuation for IP-backed financing in cooperation with the EU Intellectual Property Office, and ii) a blueprint for licensing, royalty- and revenue-sharing and equity participation for academic institutions and their inventors when commercialising IP and creating spinoffs, following best commercial practice. Additionally, the Commission is supporting startups through the EU IP Helpdesk 6 that offers free-of-charge, expert advice on a variety of IP-related topics. 1 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/eu-mission-cancer_en. 2 To date, Horizon Europe funding on cancer research and innovation totals EUR 2.4 billion, of which EUR 0.5 billion to support 60 Cancer Mission projects. 3 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_342. 4 Adopted on 28 May 2025. Available at: https://research-andinnovation.ec.europa.eu/document/download/2f76a0df-b09b-47c2-949c-800c30e4c530_en?filename=ec_rtd_eustartup-scaleup-strategy-communication.pdf. 5 https://eic.ec.europa.eu/index_en. 6 https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/regional-helpdesks/european-ip-helpdesk_en.”
  Innovation incentives in medicine procurement · Pharma IPRs
• 2025-02-19 “E-000769/2025 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Under the Digital Services Act 1 , providers of very large online platforms and of very large online search engines are obliged to identify, analyse and assess systemic risks stemming from the design, functioning and usage of their services, and to implement reasonable, proportionate and effective measures to mitigate the identified risks. This includes risks related to the dissemination of illegal content. Compliance with these obligations is monitored and assessed through regular reports. Moreover, all providers must provide user-friendly and easily accessible procedures for flagging illegal content and act expeditiously to remove or disable access to such content. Directive (EU) 2015/2366 2 requires payment service providers to apply payments authentication, and to refund users in case of unauthorised payment transactions. The Commission proposal for Payment Services Regulation 3 proposes to enhance fraud prevention and detection measures, through clearer rules for payment service providers regarding transaction monitoring mechanisms to detect fraud and to exchange data related to fraud. The proposal also puts forward that all electronic communication services would cooperate with payment services providers to prevent fraud involving impersonation via telephone and email ‘spoofing’. The Commission facilitates cooperation and exchange of best practices between consumer protection authorities, national law enforcement agencies and Europol to map emerging trends and quantify consumer harm and to put in place measures to prevent scams from reaching consumers 4 . 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 Directive (EU) 2015/2366 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on payment services in the internal market, amending Directives 2002/65/EC, 2009/110/EC and 2013/36/EU and Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010, and repealing Directive 2007/64/EC. 3 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on payment services in the internal market and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010, COM/2023/367 final; currently under discussion by colegislators. 4 The Commission has recently organised an expert workshop on fraud: https://commission.europa.eu/news/commission-gathers-key-european-enforcement-network-and-stakeholdersfight-online-consumer-fraud-2025-0221_en#:~:text=Today%2C%20the%20Commission%20is%20hosting%20an%20expert%20workshop,%28ECC %29%20Network%2C%20members%20of%20Europol%20and%20of%20national”
  Privacy & law enforcement
• 2025-02-12 “E-000664/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Commission established the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) in 2021 in response to the pandemic, to ensure better preparedness and response capacities against health emergencies. Given the national competences in the area of health, HERA was shaped with a distinctive governance model, set up within the Commission but with the HERA Board assisting and advising with high-level representation from each Member State. The Commission has concluded a review of the implementation of HERA and on 26 March 2025 published a report 1 that was transmitted to the Parliament, the Council and the HERA Board. The report acknowledges that HERA has made a significant contribution to reinforcing EU preparedness and response capabilities for medical countermeasures and beyond, but also identifies a number of areas where further work is needed to make the most of the potential to better protect the health of citizens. To ensure adequate coordination mechanisms for responding to major public health emergencies, the Commission also relies on other tools such as the Emergency Response Coordination Centre 2 . The Preparedness Union Strategy has underlined the need for renewed efforts in the area of preparedness. Funding arrangements for preparedness, including health preparedness under the future Multiannual Financial Framework are being analysed. The Political Guidelines for the Commission 2024-2029 announced a new strategy on medical countermeasures and a wider EU stockpiling strategy. The Commission is also pursuing other workstreams related to health security such as the implementation and evaluation of the Serious Cross-border Health Threats Regulation 3 and the evaluation of the European Centre for Disease Control 4 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2025:147:FIN 2 https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en 3 Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on serious cross-border threats to health and repealing Decision No 1082/2013/EU. 4 As defined in Article 31 of the amended Regulation (EC) No 851/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a European centre for disease prevention and control.”
  EU competences on health
• 2025-02-06 “E-000550/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The Special Report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) on digitalisation of healthcare (25/2024) 1 indicates that the Commission provided effective support to Member States overall. The report identified a number of challenges, such as administrative burden, timing issues, insufficient administrative capacity in Member States and the need for national cofinancing. However, the Special Report confirms that the large majority of Member States made use of the available EU funds to digitise their healthcare systems, and that EU funds for healthcare digitalisation matched Member States’ needs overall. The Special Report provided two concrete recommendations to improve reporting on the eGovernment Benchmark and the Digital Decade eHealth indicator, and to improve reporting on the use of EU funds for healthcare digitalisation. The Commission accepted those recommendations based on concrete implementation target dates. As noted by the ECA, the Commission provided Member States with guidance on the availability of EU funds for projects in healthcare digitalisation given that it recognises the importance of supporting and guiding Member States in the use of EU funds. Therefore, it will continue to share information recurrently on funding opportunities on several programmes with Member States, particularly through the eHealth Network. The Commission is committed to exploring further improvements through the corresponding feedback and consultation mechanisms. 1 https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2024-25/SR-2024-25_EN.pdf.”
  EU competences on health · Medical devices
• 2025-02-05 “E-000498/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission Under EU law, the use of copyright-protected content requires the rightsholder’s permission unless an exception to copyright applies. Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2019/790 1 introduced an exception for text and data mining, which provides a relevant framework for the use of protected content for Artificial Intelligence (AI) training. Article 4(3) allows rightsholders to reserve their rights, thereby excluding the application of the exception. The opt-out can be used by rightsholders to negotiate licensing agreements with AI developers for the use of their content. Article 53(1) of the AI Act 2 , which applies to general purpose AI models placed on the EU market regardless of where their training occurs, will support the enforcement of these rules. The Commission is committed to further supporting the development of a licensing market for the use of protected works for AI purposes. Regarding AI-generated content, Article 50(2) of the AI Act requires AI system outputs to be marked in machine-readable format and detectable as artificially generated. The Commission is conducting research on existing watermarking methods by type of content. This will ensure traceability of AI-generated content, allowing users to be aware of the type of content they are exposed to and helping creators protect their works. 1 Directive (EU) 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market and amending Directives 96/9/EC and 2001/29/EC, https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/790/oj 2 Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj/eng”
  Artificial Intelligence · Transparency and oversight of AI-generated content
• 2025-01-29 “E-000400/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission published a Communication on e-commerce 1 highlighting the need for joint enforcement actions to combat counterfeiting, including in the next European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats cycle 2026-2029 2 . The Commission adopted a Recommendation to combat counterfeiting 3 and is working with the EU Intellectual Property (IP) Office Observatory 4 on monitoring its effects before assessing it by March 2027. The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fund offers the ‘IP scan’ enforcement service which provides general IP advice to EU-based SMEs on how to enforce their IP in case of infringements and how to avoid infringing the IP rights of others 5 . 2. A positive impact has been observed in the reduction of counterfeit listings, collaboration and information sharing with law enforcement authorities, and the development of proactive measures among the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signatories 6 , who are currently considering a modernisation of the MoU with the aim of updating and adapting it to the changes in legislative framework (Digital Services Act, DSA 7 ) and new counterfeiting practices. The Commission is conducting a study on the implementation and application of certain aspects of Directive 2004/48/EC 8 to provide evidence on potential new challenges and discrepancies in implementation. The Commission has launched a full evaluation of the functioning of Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 9 to assess if the measures in place are still fit for purpose. Additionally, the Commission is enforcing the DSA 10 , together with national competent authorities and has launched several investigations against some of the very large online platforms to assess whether they may have breached the DSA obligations. 1 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/e-commerce-communication-comprehensive-eu-toolbox-safeand-sustainable-e-commerce 2 https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/law-enforcement-cooperation/empact-fighting-crime-together_en 3 https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/commission-recommendation-measures-combatcounterfeiting-and-enhance-enforcement-intellectual_en 4 https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/observatory 5 Further information available at https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/news/launch-2025-sme-fund-helpsmes-protect-intellectual-property-2025-02-03_en 6 https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/42701 7 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), available at https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R2065 8 Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32004L0048R%2801%29 9 Regulation (EU) No 608/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 concerning customs enforcement of intellectual property rights and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003, available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/608/oj/eng”
  EU policy on custom fee on non-EU imports
• 2025-01-24 “E-000319/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission adopted the Action Plan for Affordable Energy together with the Clean Industrial Deal on 26 February 2025 1 . This Action Plan presents measures to reduce energy costs for industry and households and help build a genuine Energy Union that delivers competitiveness, security, decarbonisation, and a just transition. As outlined by the cross-border infrastructure, needs are often not matched by concrete projects, leading to undue price disparities between some regions, such as recently observed in southeast Europe. Therefore, an indispensable element in this plan is investing in Europe’s grids, to accompany the progress towards an integrated and decarbonised energy system, reduce risks of curtailment for renewable energy and leverage the benefits of its Internal Energy Market for industry and households. To enhance coordination across the Energy Union and strengthen the governance of the electricity market, the Commission will also set up an Energy Union Task Force. Europe must invest more in modernising and expanding interconnections, its network of energy transmission and distribution infrastructure, accelerating investment in electricity, hydrogen and carbon dioxide transport networks as well as storage systems. The Connecting Europe Facility for Energy has been instrumental in supporting key energy infrastructure projects of EU added value. At the same time, existing infrastructure needs to be used efficiently. For example, a minimum of at least 70% capacity on interconnectors should be made available for cross-border electricity trading, but most Member States are still far off. Full achievement of this target would reduce price peak episodes. 1 https://energy.ec.europa.eu/strategy/affordable-energy_en”
  EU approach to electricity market and prices · EU energy infrastructure integration
• 2025-01-16 “E-000181/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Digital Services Act (DSA) 1 , the Regulation on the targeting and transparency of political advertising (Political Advertising Regulation) 2 , the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 3 , and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive 4 contain specific rules to protect children online. The Better Internet for Kids Strategy 5 aims to ensure that every child is respected, protected and empowered online. Under the GDPR, children’s personal data may only be processed with consent of their parent or guardian when they are under a nationally specified age. Under the DSA, Article 28 requires all online platforms accessible to minors to ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security for minors and bans advertisement to minors based on profiling. Article 26 requires platforms to make sure that adverts are clearly labeled so users can easily recognize them. The Commission is developing guidelines to facilitate compliance with Article 28. The Commission is committed to enforcing the DSA and ensuring that the rules are rigorously upheld. The Political Advertising Regulation prohibits the use of personal data to deliver political advertising to an individual known to be at least one year under the voting age. The preparatory work on a Digital Fairness Act (DFA) aims at placing a strong emphasis on the protection of children as consumers. The 2024 Commission Fitness Check of consumer legislation informs the preparation of the DFA 6 , which will include an impact assessment and consultation. This work is intended to close gaps in consumer protection, addressing matters such as unfair personalisation practices, marketing by social media influencers, addictive design and gambling-like elements in games. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R2065 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024R0900 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/1808/oj/eng 5 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/safer-internet-forkids.html#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20European%20Commission,are%20in%20children's%20best%20i nterests 6 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_4901”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online · Digital advertising
• 2025-01-15 “E-000134/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports farmers, including small ones, to adopt digital technologies through different interventions as laid down in the CAP Strategic Plans, such as investments, eco-schemes and agri-environment climate commitments. Funds also support rural broadband expansion and advisory services to enhance farmers’ digital skills. Cooperation measures support cost-sharing to enable access for small farms, while EU Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) make digital technologies more user-friendly for small farmers. Horizon Europe supports the development of innovative solutions for the use of digital technologies tailored to the needs of small- and medium sized farms. Projects like Farmtopia 1 and FaST 2 support small-scale farmers by making digital services accessible. The development of the Common European Agricultural Data Space will address interoperability concerns and enable farmers to generate value from their data. The Commission promotes good practices for digitalisation through the EU CAP Network 3 and its website 4 . The platform hosts the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) 5 and a dedicated good practice database, offering a rich repository of projects that show good practices related to digitalisation. The network also offers communication activities, workshops, publications and awards, such as the EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards. In addition, the Commission oversees the Broadband Competence Offices Support Facility (BCO-SF) Network 6 , which plays a crucial role in promoting digital innovation in rural areas. The Support Facility organizes webinars and produces videos and interviews on topics such as precision farming, digital skills, robotics, drones and other digital solutions. 1 https://farmtopia.eu/ 2 https://fastplatform.eu/ 3 Article 126 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. 4 https://eu-cap-network.ec.europa.eu/index_en 5 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/content/EIPAGRIabout.html 6 https://ec.europa.eu/enrd/news-events/news/new-european-broadbandnetwork_en.html#:~:text=The%20European%20Broadband%20Competence%20Office%20%28BCO%29%20S upport%20Facility,was%20launched%20by%20the%20European%20Commission%20in%202016”
  GMOs
• 2024-12-17 “E-002996/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is committed to ensuring that the digital transformation is human-centred and inclusive, as stressed in Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights 1 and in the Digital Decade 2 . The Web Accessibility Directive 3 obliges EU public sector bodies to make their online websites and mobile apps accessible. Furthermore, the Digital Services Act 4 contains provisions to increase the transparency and user-friendliness of services. As the majority of older persons have disabilities 5 , they are supported by the accessibility obligations set in the European Accessibility Act 6 . Sectoral legislation also establishes options for face-to-face transactions as appropriate. The 2023 proposal for a Payment Services Regulation 7 includes provisions to ensure that all customers have at their disposal at least one means enabling them to authenticate payments. The revised EU rules on financial services concluded at a distance 8 give individuals a right to request human intervention when they interact with online interfaces. These new rules must be transposed by December 2025 and will be applicable from June 2026. Supporting vulnerable consumers will continue being an important element in the future Consumer Agenda 2025-2030, which the Commission will adopt in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Commission is aware that several Member States have already started adopting measures to ensure physical access to certain services, such as banking and cash services. In this context, and in line with its objective to ensure a human centric digital transformation, the Commission will continue monitoring the situation closely in view of possible need for further actions at EU level. 1 For more info see the 2023 Commission’s Report on access to essential services in the EU: SWD(2023) 213 final/2, https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10678-2023-REV-1/en/pdf 2 Decision (EU) 2022/2481 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 establishing the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/2481/oj 3 Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies. 4 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) https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R2065 5 European comparative data on persons with disabilities - Equal opportunities, fair working conditions, social protection and inclusion - Analysis and trends - Data 2022, based on EU statistics on income and living conditions (Eurostat SILC data). 6 Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services. 7 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on payment services in the internal market and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010, COM(2023) 367 final. 8 Directive (EU) 2023/2673.”
  EU policy on aging workforce and pensions · EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility
• 2024-12-09 “E-002828/2024 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan Regulation 1 already includes a number of interventions that may help farmers to perform preventive actions especially to prevent crises and build on medium and long-term resilience. For mitigating short-term impacts, the available tools include direct payments, which represent the biggest share of the CAP budget and support farmers’ incomes, risk management tools helping farmers manage production risks due to adverse weather events, as well as sectoral interventions supporting replanting or restocking, and investments in the restoration of production potential. Under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 (CSP) 2 , in addition to direct payments, Greece envisages also support for investments to restore agricultural and forestry potential following natural disasters, adverse climatic or catastrophic events. 2. Moreover, on 19 December 2024 3 the Commission’s proposal amending Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 4 was adopted by the co-legislators to allow Member States to provide liquidity support to beneficiaries affected in 2024 by natural disasters and a destruction of at least 30% of the relevant production potential. It will be up to the Member States to decide if they will use this new support possibility under their Rural Development Programmes 2014-2022. The design of the future Multiannual Financial Framework and its instruments lies ahead. The Common Agricultural Policy must become simpler and more targeted and find the right balance between incentives, investments and regulation. The priority will be to strengthen the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ%3AL%3A2021%3A435%3ATOC&uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2021.435.01.0001.01.EN G 2 https://www.agrotikianaptixi.gr/category/sskap-2023-2027/sskap-egkrisi-tropopoiiseis/ 3 Regulation (EU) 2024/3242 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 as regards specific measures under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development to provide additional assistance to Member States affected by natural disasters; https://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R3242&qid=1735899275178 4 Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 December 2020 laying down certain transitional provisions for support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the years 2021 and 2022 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 as regards resources and application in the years 2021 and 2022 and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 as regards resources and the distribution of such support in respect of the years 2021 and 2022 https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2220/oj/eng”
  Agricultural funding · Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
• 2024-12-03 “E-002728/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission The European Commission, through Cohesion Policy funds 1 is already contributing to disaster risk management with EUR 14 billion across EU regions, focusing on the most vulnerable and exposed territories. For Greece, some EUR 1.4 billion is allocated to prevent and manage climate-related risks 2 in the programming period 2021-2027. Under the shared management and subsidiarity principles governing the Cohesion Policy Funds, the use of the available resources (project selection and implementation of operations) falls under the responsibility of the Member State. Member States affected by natural disasters may also benefit from the flexibilities provided by the Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction – RESTORE Regulation which entered into force on 24 December 2024 3 . This will enable Member States to reprogramme part of their Cohesion Policy funds allocations for actions and projects in response to natural disasters, including reconstruction and repair measures to alleviate the negative socioeconomic consequences of natural disasters. Union support could cover up to 95 % of the expenditure and include an additional pre-financing of 25%. This will ease the budgetary pressure on affected Member States and regions. Finally, the EU Solidarity Fund, upon request, is available to support Member States targeting costs for emergency and recovery operations 4 caused by major natural disasters. 1 European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund, Just Transition Fund and Interreg programmes 2 Out of the EUR 1.4 billion, some EUR 726 million in public funding is allocated to prevent and manage climate-related flood risks. 3 Regulation (EU) 2024/3236 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1057 and (EU) 2021/1058 as regards Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction (RESTORE), available at the following link : http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/3236/oj 4 The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) can only be activated at the request of the Member State which has a deadline of 12 weeks as from when the first damage occurred, demonstrating that the total direct damage exceeds the thresholds specified in Article 2 Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002. The EUSF may cover a part of the costs for emergency and recovery operations incurred by public authorities. This means, for example, the recovery of essential infrastructure, provision of temporary accommodation to the population, cleaning-up operations, and protection of the cultural heritage. Private damage is not eligible.”
  Climate efforts
• 2024-11-22 “E-002635/2024 Answer given by Mr McGrath on behalf of the European Commission Following the Digital Fairness Fitness Check report 1 published on 3 October 2024, the Commission will develop a Digital Fairness Act to address the identified consumer protection issues in the online environment, such as termination of subscription contracts, automatic renewal of subscriptions and conversion of free trials into paid subscriptions. The specific options will be developed and assessed in an impact assessment. The Commission services are currently preparing a public consultation and impact assessment, to be conducted in 2025, ahead of a possible legislative proposal. The Commission is also committed to improving awareness and understanding of the rights of European consumers through several initiatives. The ConsumerPro 2 initiative is a capacitybuilding project with training programmes covering a wide range of topics, aimed at making consumer organisations and other actors in consumer policy better-equipped to protect and assist consumers. The Consumer Education Hub 3 website is a repository of hundreds of educational materials and resources collected during two research studies carried out by the Commission in 2021-2022. They can be used by all actors working in consumer education/advice and awareness raising. In 2024, the Commission launched a call for proposals 4 to provide financial support to initiatives and projects aimed at improving consumer education and awareness raising. Proposals selected for EU funding will be announced in Q1 2025. 1 https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13413-Digital-fairness-fitness-checkon-EU-consumer-law_en 2 https://www.beuc.eu/consumer-pro-boosting-professionals-consumer-protection 3 https://consumer-education.eu/ 4 https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/funding-opportunities/calls-proposals/call-proposals-action-grants-supportconsumer-education-awareness-raising-and-local-advice-consumers_en”
  Digital platforms liability for harmful and illegal content
• 2024-11-14 “E-002544/2024 Answer given by Ms Zacharieva on behalf of the European Commission Research and innovation (R&I) on non-communicable diseases, including diabetes and its comorbidities, has been a longstanding priority of the Commission. Over EUR 274 million supported 108 diabetes-related projects in the previous Framework Programme for R&I Horizon 2020 1,2 . Also, the current programme, Horizon Europe 3 , continues to invest in diabetes research. So far over EUR 109 million has supported 50 R&I projects on diabetes 4 . The project portfolios on diabetes in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe also include the Innovative Medicines Initiative and the Innovative Health Initiative 5 projects that have addressed detection, prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications 6 . With its broad call topics, Horizon Europe will further support excellent and impactful R&I on non-communicable diseases, including diabetes. The design of call topics is coordinated with the Programme Committee delegations of Member States and Associated Countries, which also convey priorities of scientific communities, civil societies and citizens (including patients). The funding opportunities under Horizon Europe are published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal 7 . Coordination of diabetes research is also ensured between EU programmes, including EU4Health 8 where policy research related to diabetes and its co-morbidities is developed and implemented through collaborative actions among Member States. While it takes good note of the importance of continuing to provide support to research on diabetes in different subpopulations of patients, at the current early stage of preparation of the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation the Commission cannot provide further details regarding this specific research area. 1 Horizon 2020 ((2014-2020) https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/fundingopportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-2020_en 2 For instance, the DIABFRAIL-LATAM project has focused on improving the quality of life of ageing populations with diabetes associated with comorbidities; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/825546 3 Horizon Europe (2021-2027) https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/fundingopportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en 4 For instance, the project MELISSA aims to provide mobile artificial intelligence solution for diabetes adaptive care. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057730 5 https://www.ihi.europa.eu/about-ihi/imi-ihi 6 More on IMI/IHI project portfolios: https://www.ihi.europa.eu/projects-results/health-spotlights/impactdiabetes 7 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home 8 https://health.ec.europa.eu/funding/eu4health-programme-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en”
  Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU · EU competences on health
• 2024-10-30 “E-002365/2024 Answer given by Mr Kadis on behalf of the European Commission 1. The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) makes a budgetary envelope available to each Member State, as set out in Annex V to the EMFAF Regulation 1 to provide support to operators under a national programme. The design of the programme and allocation of the budget is based on the needs and priorities of the Member State. The fund allows support being dedicated to addressing the issues raised by the Honourable Member, in alignment with the objectives of the Multiannual National Plan for Aquaculture. 2. In May 2021, the Commission adopted a ‘Communication on strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030’ 2 setting the vision for EU aquaculture to grow into an even more competitive and resilient sector and become a global reference for sustainability by 2030. The Strategic Guidelines cover all issues of relevance to the sustainable development of aquaculture in the EU with concrete recommendations and proposals for action. On the effects of climate change, it is noted that ‘the aquaculture sector will need to adapt to the many disruptive impacts of climate change and improve its resilience’. The Commission, as part of the implementation of the Strategic Guidelines, is finalising a staff working document on the climate adaptation of the EU aquaculture sector to support authorities, policymakers in Member States and the aquaculture sector in creating climate adaptation plans. It will present the effects that climate change can have on EU aquaculture, a detailed process for developing a climate adaptation plan and provide examples of good practices for several measures. Moreover, it will refer to existing knowledge gaps and provide policy recommendations. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32021R1139 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2021:236:FIN”
  Climate efforts
• 2024-10-16 “E-002108/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission Several legislative reforms address online sales of unsafe toys from third countries, including the following. From 13 December 2024, online sales of toys via e-commerce webshops or providers of online marketplaces will be subject to the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) 1 which includes specific product safety obligations for all providers of online marketplaces that target EU consumers. The GPSR requires, inter alia, that those providers register with the Safety Gate Portal, maintain internal product safety processes, act swiftly on dangerous products, ensure that traders display safety and traceability information, and cooperate with market surveillance authorities 2 . Those obligations complement the ones, related in particular to traceability of traders and compliance by design, under the Digital Services Act 3 . In July 2023, the Commission proposed a new Toy Safety Regulation 4 . It would require all toys to have a digital product passport (DPP) with compliance and other information on the toy that can be immediately accessible via a data carrier (such as a QR code). Importers should submit DPPs at the EU borders, including for toys sold online. IT systems should screen all DPPs at the external borders and identify shipments that need detailed controls at customs. National inspectors will continue to be responsible for carrying out checks on toys. This proposal is currently being discussed with the European Parliament and Council. Further, the proposed reform of the EU Customs Union 5 would strengthen the capacity of customs and other authorities to enforce compliance with EU rules on imports, including for e-commerce imports. 1 Regulation (EU) 2023/988. 2 Regulation (EU) 2023/988 Article 22. 3 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. 4 COM(2023) 462. 5 https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs-4/eu-customs-reform_en”
  Liability for online marketplaces · EU competences on consumer protection and product standards
• 2024-10-03 “E-001935/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen 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. The Commission has already taken action in this area under the Digital Services Act (DSA) by opening formal investigations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) 1 against Tik Tok 2 and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram 3 based on suspicions that their algorithms may stimulate behavioural addictions in young people and create so called ‘rabbit-hole effects’. The Commission also continuously monitors the compliance of all very large online platforms and search engines with the DSA and may launch new investigations if necessary. Moreover, the Commission is developing guidelines to help providers of online platforms ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security of minors on their service, scheduled for adoption in 2025. In 2023, only 56% of people aged 16-74 possessed at least basic digital skills in the EU whereas the target is 80% by 2030. The Digital Education Action Plan 4 aims to equip individuals with digital skills, which includes developing guidelines on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training 5 . The Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills and competences in education and training 6 is another key instrument with guidelines for educators on high-quality informatics education as a first deliverable, due to be published in 2025. Since 2021, Erasmus+ has funded 674 projects addressing media literacy and tackling disinformation. The Commission also developed ‘SELFIE’, a free self-assessment tool which helps schools assess their digital readiness 7 . Moreover, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive 8 requires Member States and video-sharing platforms to promote media literacy. 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). 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/news/commission-opens-formal-proceedings-against-meta-underdigital-services-act-related-protection 4 https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/action-plan 5 https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/action-plan/action-7 6 https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/action-plan/action-10 7 https://education.ec.europa.eu/selfie/about-selfie 8 Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2010 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive) (Codified version).”
  Recommender systems · Safety features & content control for child protection online
• 2024-10-03 “E-001934/2024 Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the significant challenges the European wine sector is currently facing, due to a long-term decline of domestic consumption, a shift in consumer preferences, and an unstable international context affecting our key export markets. In addition, the sector faces increasingly unpredictable production conditions and harvests due to disasters linked to climate change. Therefore, a High-Level Group on Wine Policy has been set up with representatives from Member States’ authorities as a forum to explore possible solutions to secure its long-term competitiveness and sustainability. Representatives of the major stakeholder organisations were invited to present their assessment of the situation during the first meeting on 11 September 2024, and a discussion on policy options started on 14 October 2024 should conclude on 15 November 2024. The discussions of the group are centred around policy measures to help the sector navigate the challenges ahead, addressing the management of the production potential, the options to strengthen the resilience of the sector against climate change and to adapt to shifting market trends and harness market opportunities. Sustainability and competitiveness, innovative and sustainable wine-growing practices and measures to strengthen the resilience of the sector against climatic events are important issues in this context. A document with conclusion and policy recommendations will be presented to stakeholders in the last meeting in December 2024 and made public on the Europa website. This document will inspire future legislative proposals, which will then be subject to discussion by the European Parliament and the Council.”
  GMOs
• 2024-09-11 “E-001682/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Vestager on behalf of the European Commission As stated in its 2023 small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) Relief Package 1 , the Commission expects more than EUR 200 billion to be made available to SMEs under various funding programmes, under the ongoing multiannual financial framework and under the NextGenerationEU 2 . The political guidelines of the 2024-2029 Commission state that the next multiannual financial framework will ensure to leverage and de-risk private investment 3 . Specific measures to improve SMEs’ access to finance include the InvestEU programme 4 , Horizon Europe 5 or the European Innovation Council 6 . Financing support, inter alia, includes loans, guarantees or equity investments boosting investment and job creation. In programmes such as Horizon Europe, the increased use of tools such as lump-sum payments aim to simplify administrative procedures and reduce red tape mainly for SMEs. Additionally, the EU Funding & Tenders Portal 7 has recently been revamped to provide a simpler access to funding. Reducing administrative burdens and simplifying implementation are key political priorities for the next mandate of the Commission 8 . A SME and competitiveness check for new initiatives will help design them with small businesses in mind, avoiding unnecessary burdens and too complex legislation. The Commission will continue to work on the reduction of burdens related to reporting obligations by at least 25% and for SMEs at least 35%. Political and technical dialogues with stakeholders through implementation dialogues and reality checks will further support the work on simplification and burden reduction and will be particularly relevant for SMEs. Moreover stress-testing of the whole EU acquis will detect implementation challenges and identify scope for simplification. 1 COM(2023) 535 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2023%3A535%3AFIN 2 COM(2020) 456 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0456 3 Europe’s choice, political guidelines for the next European Commission 2024-2029, https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf 4 https://investeu.europa.eu/investeu-programme_en 5 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en 6 https://eic.ec.europa.eu/index_en 7 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home. More information on EU funding can be found at: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/finance-funding/getting-funding/index_en.htm 8 See footnote 3.”
  EU industrial funding · Overall simplification of regulation in the EU (free access)
• 2024-07-23 “E-001399/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission Recently, the political guidelines of the President-elect have announced a Water Resilience Initiative that aims, inter alia, to support Member States in their efforts to combat the very severe consequences of water scarcity. Such strategy will build on a robust water acquis and will also complement a myriad of ongoing activities to assess the severity of droughts 1 , measure drought impacts 2 and predict future drought risks 3 . As regards funding needs, EU Funds are there to provide financial support to water related investments. Between 2021 and 2027, some EUR 13 billion of Cohesion Policy funds 4 will be invested in water management. In the context of Horizon Europe 5 of particular relevance are the partnerships ‘Water Security for the Planet’ 6 , the Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) 7 together with the Missions ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ 8 and ‘Adaptation to Climate Change’ 9 . Moreover, financial support is available under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 10 in order to support farmers for the application of mandatory requirements stemming from the Water Framework Directive 11 and investments in improving irrigation infrastructure. In addition, incentives are provided for sustainable agricultural practices, including deploying nature-based solutions against water scarcity. 1 https://drought.emergency.copernicus.eu/tumbo/edo/map/?id=1000 2 https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-publishes-new-tools-help-predict-and-adapt-sectoral-droughtimpacts-2023-10-11_en 3 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/21a1984a-7478-11ee-99ba-01aa75ed71a1/language-en 4 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/cohesion-fund_en 5 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en 6 https://www.water4all-partnership.eu/ 7 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/environment/prima_en 8 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/restore-our-ocean-and-waters_en 9 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/adaptation-climate-change_en 10 https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy_en 11 Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1–73, as amended by Commission Directive 2014/101/EU of 30 October 2014, OJ L 311, 31.10.2014, p. 32–35.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “The chemical omnibus contributes directly to the Union's objectives of simplification and reduction of unnecessary administrative burdens by streamlining rules, improving regulatory coherence and supporting a more competitive and resilient European industrial base, while fully maintaining high levels of protection for human health and the environment. In this regard, I consider that omnibus six must deliver a real simplification with responsibility. It must therefore improve procedural efficiency, increase predictability, reduce duplication without weakening consumer protection, traceability or transparency. That is precisely what our amendments aim to do. They protect safety while preventing regulatory overreach that destroys value without reducing risk. They keep protection high while restoring science proportionality and legal certainty. Given the cross-cutting nature of the omnibus package, this amendment amending regulations are examined by the European Parliament in accordance with rule 59. Joint Committee procedure of the Rules of Procedure reflecting this approach. The Co-rapporteurs work together, ensuring a consistent, coordinated and legally robust assessment across policy areas. Regulation on CLP and cosmetics were examined within the remit of envy. Given the primary focus on the protection of human health and the environment, and the regulation of hazardous substances, while duly taking into account internal market considerations and the specificities of this vibrant and innovative industries. While the regulation on fertilising products was examined, with Imco reflecting its core objective of harmonising product rules and ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market through key market marking and conformity assessment.”
  Classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals
• “Thank you very much, president. Colleagues, European consumers and farmers confront increasingly. So, of course, the consequences of the war in the Middle East before 2026. Fertilizers or after 2026. They caused the beginning of the. They cost 60% more than they cost before. That has led to higher prices for consumers. Of course, this particular landscape, as far as fertilizers is concerned, is something which requires great dedication on our part. We require more targeted. A more targeted approach for farmers using European implements. Fertilizers also go hand in hand with food security and the ability of consumers to have accessibility to sufficient food. That's why domestic production is extremely important. We have to reduce our dependency on imports, but we need a comprehensive discussion on this particular issue. Zyban ETS programming and look at the consequences as well. The Commission has to move forward with the carrying out of what was agreed upon during the council meeting of March. If these are not technical issues, these are issues that concern strengthening the ability of farmers, making farming more robust and providing to consumers. Thank you.”
  Use of fertilisers
• “Now move to the next item. We will now hold an exchange of views with the commission on the topic of whale and dolphin hunting on the Faroe Faroe Islands. I would like to invite Christina Davila, head of unit for Global Environmental Cooperation at Multilateral Multilateralism at DG environment, from the European Commission to take the floor for her presentation for 8 to 10 minutes, please.”
  Commercial whaling
• “Aiming for maximum transparency, you must also adhere to the principle as close as necessary, ensuring that companies can continue investing in research and innovation without risk of unfair competition. The regulatory framework must neither impose unnecessary burden on businesses, particularly SMEs, nor expose proprietary data in ways that could undermine European industry. Let me be clear the Common Data Platform is a major step forward in assessing Chemical safety and reinforcing consumer protection. It will centralize scientific information, benefiting both public health and industry. We also support the harmonization of chemical assessment across different agencies. This package strengthens cooperation, increases efficiency, enhances predictability and eliminates costly duplications, benefiting both EU citizens and businesses. Of course, challenges remain and that is why we continue to refine the text in the context of the collaboration with the political groups, the European Commission and the Council. Dear colleagues, by adopting these measures, we will strengthen protection for citizens and the environment while maintaining Europe's leadership in innovation and sustainability. I am confident that with our collective commitment, we can achieve this ambitious, necessary goal. I strongly urge you to vote in favour of this report so that we can deliver a stronger, smarter and more sustainable EU chemicals policy. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Thank you, Mister Behrendt. Now we are moving on to the political group representatives' interventions, and I give the floor to Mister Christophe Clerzo. **Christophe CLERGEAU(France, S&D): Merci, thank you, Chairman. This is a rather technical file, but it's important because we're talking about the ability to leave things open and avoid monopolies and open it up to all actors after a reasonable period of time to have access to information. First of all, as a member, I'm surprised about the amount of time involved in the revision of the examination of existing active substances. We have sixteen years of delay, which is amazing. You said there have been changes in the type of data produced; nonetheless, it's very worrying. When we're talking about the ECA legislation, all the members and the Commission are in favor of giving ECA more resources to go more quickly. Secondly, you said, and the Commission did this in the past, that this regulation or this provision shouldn't have taken place without a review, but you're opening up this debate within an omnibus which will happen before the end of the year and that's before the evaluation. Could you go into more detail to say what is the coherence there in that procedure? I didn't quite understand, but could you clarify this too? If you envisage extending the length of protection just for new data having to do with new obligations which have come in during the revision process, yeah, but the initial law talks about the maximum extent of data protection for substances which existed before the adoption of the legislation. Could you tell us what type of development you would like to propose? I know that the omnibus is incomplete yet. You said that there are new elements which have come in in the course of the process. I think it would be useful for the members if you could restrict the scope of the extension of the data protection or you're opening up a larger scope which will be in contradiction with the balances found in the initial text, which was the initial will of the two co-legislators.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. Deputy director general. Mr. Gomes. Colleagues, the new single market is, of course, an important step towards fully harnessing one of our most strategic assets. And I am pleased that the Commission recognises that unjustified territorial supply constraints have an impact on prices at consumers, but they are not adequately addressed by existing competition law. But more importantly, because it's not just a matter of territorial supply constraints. The Commission commits itself to present concrete tools to tackle unjustified price differences for the same products in the EU and address unfair practices in order for consumers to take full advantage of the single market. Therefore, I want to ask you, what are you concretely planning to present at? What is the exact timetable for the implementation? I agree that the end of 2026. It's too late. Secondly, as far as SMEs are concerned, bureaucracy consumes a big chunk of their time. And this is on top of other structural barriers such as access to funding. A wider deployment of the once only principle is key. My question is, how do we extend this principle in practice so as to avoid a situation where SMEs have to submit the same information documents over and over again? Thank you.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “Thank you very much. President. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the simplification of the Si system is extremely important for SMEs. They find it very difficult to comply with all these requirements. And it's important for other sectors as well. We need to find an effective and efficient use of this system, and we need to. We need to ensure that this does not become an uncontrollable, uh, system. We need to have a risk assessment. We. We need to, uh, to do what we can. As I said, simplification is, uh, something which is good, but this is the first approach, and we need to, uh, and need to have this 30% reduction for SMEs and for Mid-caps as well. We need to look at further simplification in the Commission and other measures which can help us to Uh, rationalize a certain parts of this so that we can have, um, further measures to support these SMEs. And we need to look at how this actually will work in practice.”
  Conditions to access EU budget
• “Thank you very much. Now, with the third legislative text of this package, we are taking an additional essential regulatory step towards improving the safety of chemicals, protecting the environment and improving competitiveness of European industry. This proposal is a milestone in ensuring harmonised and scientifically sound assessments, as well as effective cooperation between European chemical organisations. One of the key points of this regulation is harmonisation. Harmonisation of the management and evaluation of chemicals among different European agencies. By simplifying procedures and eliminating unnecessary duplication, we can increase efficiency, enhance predictability and reduce the administrative burden. This will not only benefit citizens of the EU by ensuring higher safety standards, it will also help businesses because it will give them more clarity and stability when it comes to regulation. However, in the process of redefining responsibilities, we need to make sure that no single agency such as ECA is burdened with excessive responsibilities. The redistribution of responsibilities between the different agencies must be balanced. We need to take into account the expertise and individual tasks assigned to each of them. This will maintain scientific excellence whilst preventing delays in evaluations and decision making.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Thank you sir. Dear colleagues, I believe that the commission is acting within its mandate under the Sebum Regulation, the implementing Act Operationalizes, article seven, paragraph seven. It does not alter the political choices made by the legislator. In this regard, a harmonized methodology for calculating embedded emissions is essential to ensure equal treatment of imports, prevent manipulation, and safeguard WTO compatibility. The default values are a safeguard, not a penalty. We need to understand that these values apply only where verified data are missing, and incentivise third country producers to provide accurate emissions information. If we week or block the methodology, it would delay Cbam implementation, create legal uncertainty and undermine the mechanism designed to prevent carbon leakage and protect EU industry. Sebum already includes reviewed adjustment mechanisms during the transitional period. The right approach is to implement, monitor and refine, not to restart the process. I consider that sebum must remain credible, predictable and enforceable. Supporting this implementing act is essential to preserve its environmental integrity and industrial fairness. Therefore, on behalf of EPP, I support to vote against the objection. Thank you.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• “Thank you. Thank you sir. Since 2010, the average time spent by children between 9 and 15 years old on screens and social media has more than doubled. Digital addiction has immeasurable consequences for their development and mental health. Many of the digital services are designed to exploit the vulnerabilities of young people in order to maximize engagement at the time they spend, and keep them glued to the screen at the same time. Young people are confronted with dangerous content. Incidents of cyberbullying, problematic challenges that endanger their physical health, and unfair practices in video games that push them to excessive and unwanted purchases. These problems are pan European and therefore require a common approach. The initial report of the Committee on Culture and Education does not adequately address these issues. For this reason, I have to propose some amendments. These include strengthening the institutional framework at closing the loopholes by establishing an age of digital majority age for access to social networks. Tackling the addictive functionalities of social media in the context of the upcoming Digital Fairness Act, a unified system for age verification because without which it is impossible to guarantee a high level of protection for young people online. And for this, there is already relevant experience with the kids wallet that the Greek government has implemented digital solutions so that parents can better control the time children spend at the purchases they make online at more targeted information and empowerment campaigns, in order to raise awareness about the risks of digital addiction and strengthen digital literacy. In conclusion, I look forward to working closely with the rapporteurs of the other groups to reach a compromise text that will provide concrete solutions to address the consequences of of excessive exposure to the internet and ensure a safe digital world for youth. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “We face a threat of 30% of US tariffs starting as of the 1st of August. The US has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, while its households and companies face electricity prices 2 to 3 times lower than in the EU. This challenging geopolitical situation is a stark reminder of the importance of completing the European Energy Union. We need urgent measures to ensure greater degradation of the EU's cross-border electricity systems. The grid said the affordable energy plans are welcome steps but will only deliver much later. Therefore, we need massive investments in their connections at cross-border networks, at the creation of a mechanism to compensate countries that implement investments that significantly benefit the European network. My question to Minister Aagaard is how do you plan to take the work of a well-functioning internal energy market forward, especially in the field of the connection between countries? Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you. First of all, I'd like to thank the shadow rapporteurs and colleagues for their constructive contribution to this discussion, which is ongoing. For me, it for EPP the. The protection of human health and the environment is not negotiable. But at the same time we have to find an objective look. I use the words that the representative of the commission referred to it to find a solution that protects the human health environment and at the same time supports innovation and avoids regulatory overreach that add costs without reducing risk on cosmetics. I'd like to say that because we had the discussion on same substances, that we should follow a science based approach, that smart decisions are taken after the SCCs has completed its scientific assessment. Otherwise, we have an ideological approach that is not helpful. So science based approach is, I think, a principle on this issue. And on CLP, I think that the clarity. Is something that we have to ensure in a more workable in practice solution. Utah has already proven the difficulty of this issue. So I think that we, while fully preserving safety at the hazard communication, we have to, uh, ensure that there is a workable solution. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Madam president, Commissioner 2024 was the hottest year in history. Wildfires and drought are the new reality and the figures speak for themselves. 380,000 hectares were burnt last year in Europe. And we were talking about, you know, 44% of agricultural land. We're talking about a huge cost in my country, Greece, but most of the Mediterranean are seeing more and more of this. We're not just. We're talking about climate crises which have no borders. We need to focus on investments in prevention. We need preparedness, not just fine words. We need it in reality. We need to work at national level, regional level, local level. But we need better cooperation with the local authorities. Uh, and citizens protection. We need modern methods with modern technology. We need the solidarity fund. We need a platform for, um, emergency warning. We need proper, uh, focusing on water, supplies of water, not wasting water. We need to protect our ecosystems. We have to, in Europe, move to action. We need more ambitious action right now.”
  Climate efforts
• “Thank you sir. We can see that the percentage of digital purchases is always growing. So the application and the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act is not a purely technical issue. It is a prerequisite for innovation, for European innovation, because unfortunately, we do not see that many European digital companies. We have legislation that defines a clear framework and rules are there to be enforced. So we need true enforcement of the legislation, as well as penalties with teeth and a clear framework with real guards for AI. So our rules need to be adapted to this constantly changing digital environment. And this is what the EU has to step up to. Thank you.”
  EU rules on digital competition
• “Dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, from the outset, I would like to stress the importance of the simplification of CBA. At the same time, we need to identify a solution that facilitates the effective implementation of CBA. Avoiding circumvention. As you already mentioned, it also has referred to the issue my colleague Mrs. Perez. In this regard, it is essential to establish a robust risk assessment mechanism to detect and prevent artificial shipment splitting or their strategic use of multiple legal entities to bypass obligations. I would also like to add that without effective oversight, we risk undermining the integrity of sebum, but also distorting market dynamics by allowing prices, particularly for transformation, to be influenced by the cheapest and taxed imports. Therefore, closing potential loopholes, I think, is essential of an effective implementation of sebum. And I expect from a commission to a to a point on this issue. Thanks.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• “Thank you. Please let me speak in my mother tongue, Greek. Thank you. Thank you very much. Since 2010, children between the ages of nine and fifteen have been spending huge amounts of time online on screen, twice as much as just ten years ago. That has a considerable impact on their mental health. They are experiencing bullying on the internet, and they end up being addicted because the use of the internet is just resulting in them doing more and more online. So what we need to do is create an environment which is safe for children, and to do so, we need to know what the age of majority is for the internet use. That's fifteen, and we need to be inspired by the kids' wallet. So these are digital solutions so that parents are better able to follow what their children are doing on the internet and what they're buying. We need more initiatives to better train teachers and parents, and in Greece, we have a website which provides a huge amount of information to that end. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Dear colleagues, dear representatives of the Commission, we all acknowledge P-fas pollution is an escalating threat to both human health and the environment. These substances are persistent, bioaccumulative and linked to serious health risks. This demands urgent and decisive EU action since 2020. This House has called on the Commission to set a firm deadline and phase out all non-essential uses, and to accelerate the development of safe and nonpersistent alternatives. Yet progress remains far too slow. It's time to act. The Commission must now deliver an ambitious and enforceable roadmap for fast elimination, starting with updated EU wide quality standards. At the same time, we must strike a careful balance. While restrictions are necessary to protect public health and environment, we cannot overlook the technological and economic challenges in certain sectors such as pharmaceuticals. However, this cannot become a blanket exception. We need to treat us all the same way. Essential uses must be clearly defined, strictly time limited, and accompanied by accelerated investment in innovation and substitution. We cannot afford to let economic convenience outweigh public health and environmental protection. The health of our citizens is of utmost importance. Europe must lead not only in banning harmful chemicals, but also in becoming a global driver of safer, sustainable alternatives. All of us acknowledge the importance of the issue. It's not enough. It's time for bold action. Thank you.”
  PFAs
• “When it comes to this compromise proposal, we agreed that for significant scientific differences of opinion, especially when a national authority is involved, there should be structured cooperation mechanisms. European organisations and national authorities should be obliged to cooperate, either by resolving their differences or by publishing a joint text clarifying the scientific uncertainty. Transparency must be at the heart of this process, and the discussions need to be public and accessible where there are disagreements. Additional information is required, and it's critical to establish a clear process and realistic deadlines for the necessary data. Colleagues, this regulation is an important step towards a more effective, predictable and science based chemicals policy in the EU. It bolsters cooperation between relevant agencies, it ensures fair distribution of responsibilities, and it also promotes transparency and public confidence in the decision making process. I urge you to support this regulation so that we can continue strengthening our regulatory framework for the safety of chemical substances. Protect public health and the environment and offer businesses a clearer, safer and more predictable regulatory environment. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues. Europe is one of the largest markets in the world. But in the in the in the sector of telecommunications, we are lagging behind. Different services, different prices, different investments. And this fragmentation is harmful especially for the users. Consumers. We have slower development inequality from region to region and higher cost. So Mr. Draghi was right. You can't have a single market if you don't complete the single market for connectivity. And especially at a time when we're talking about the importance of AI. It's not possible for our basic infrastructures not to be up to the mark. We need to change this with this digital Networks act. We need strong rules for the users, for the consumers, especially more vulnerable people in society, affordable prices and certainty with better connectivity, especially in remote areas, island areas. So we need to encourage a new generation investments so that Europe will be able to compete in new technologies and AI, better connectivity, better prices for consumers in Europe. It's time that we made sure that finally we are going to meet the expectations and needs of our consumers.”
  EU policy on accessibility of digital infrastructure
• “Thank you. Chair. Commissioner. Colleagues in a world that is radically changing the, the European Union must redefine its position. The cooperation between the EU and the US does not have the form it used to have, but it must not be disrupted in spite of difficulties. At the same time, we have to look at other places around the world where there are emerging powers at the beginning of the year of the year. I participated in the delegation of the committee that visited India, and I had the opportunity to see economic progress in many sectors. I saw how European businesses attach importance to the Indian side. And on the other hand, India attaches importance to their cooperation with Europe. The corridor in the Middle East Europe will be to the benefit of European businesses and European citizens. This cooperation must respect European quality and security standards and provide through access to markets. Thank you.”
  EU-India relations
• “Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I would like to thank the rapporteur and the other shadows for the constructive cooperation during the technical negotiations, reaching a compromise that is aligned with the very comprehensive text on the protection of minors agreed at the last plenary session, is key ahead of next week's political negotiations. I am glad that there are only a few, although important, elements, left to solve. Firstly, I am aware that the upcoming Digital Fairness Act is a contentious issue given the possible addition of requirements for businesses. However, it can help in closing the existing legal loopholes and addressing harmful practices such as addictive design and gambling like game features in video games. Secondly, when it comes to digital laws such as the AI act, we should avoid prejudging The simplification discussions that just started after the release of the digital omnibus. This is not part of the scope of this opinion. They are act should be applied, but on condition that we have on time the necessary standards and guidance in place. Lastly, when it comes to verifying users age for access to social media, we need to stick to the term age assurance, which is comprehensive and encompasses all the different types of age checks, including age verification. Colleagues, ahead of next week's political negotiations, I'm sure we will continue working in a constructive spirit to build the foundations of a safer online environment for youth. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Our president. Dear colleagues, the European sector is today facing new challenges because of climate change, because of the increased cost in production and because of the instability, or over the world, which does reduce our exports to places like the US, for example. And particularly vulnerable are family vineyards. So our European wine sector is the biggest in the world, over 3 million jobs and a big part of our GDP supporting the regions, the rural areas, the villages. And it helps us deal with the demographic problems and the measures are going in the right direction. We do need simplification in our regulatory framework. We need more investments, up to 80% of costs to make us more resistant. And we also need rural wine tourism and better promotion of European wines in third markets, a better and more stable framework both for aromatised wine products and low alcohol wines. It should be a sector that supports the new cap. You know, wine is not just another agricultural product. It's part of our cultural heritage. It is a high value product, and it's also a way to achieve a viable development in our rural areas. So let's support it.”
  Agricultural funding
• “Thank you. The interconnection is not a technical issue. We cannot talk about a single market without an energy market. Especially when we have such great fluctuations in prices between countries, and it is citizens and enterprise that pay these high prices. Now, this package for networks is a very good opportunity both for Greece and other southeastern European countries, because the energy costs are a very high and it's a big burden both for citizens and companies. We need to act fast and efficiently, and the Commission needs to support the member states. It needs to mobilise both private investments and public funds. Better strategy speeding up with all procedures when it comes to licensing this package for networks is not just a technical detail, it's an investment in energy safety and social cohesion between member states, so it needs to be our central political priority. Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Along with territorial supply constraints. Practice of quantity or size reductions, while the price remains unchanged, are very useful. As you already referred to Shrinkflation. It's it's a very good term, I think. According to a recent commission survey, 7,074% of consumers responded that the quantity or size of a package product was reduced while the price remained the same or even increased at the same time. 52% of consumers responded that the ingredients and quality of a package product deteriorated, while the price again remained the same or even increased. Therefore, I wanted to ask Mrs. Blanchard, do you think that the European legislation is sufficient? Sufficient Efficient enough and it's only a matter of implementation. Or we need to enforce legislation at close possible loopholes. Thanks.”
  EU restrictions on unfair commercial practices
• “Overall, this joint work has ensured a balanced, coherent and proportionate outcome, reflecting the integrated nature of EU chemicals policy and the need to combine high protection standards with regulatory clarity and legal certainty. Regarding the article one on CLP. The proposal. The proposed amendments are focused to the following principles. First, targeted simplification, not deregulation. Omnibus should deliver targeted simplification under the CLP regulation. Reduce unnecessary administrative burdens while fully preserves high standards of protection for human health and the environment. Second, modernising labelling without lowering safety. The proposal introduces greater flexibility in formatting requirements such as font size and spacing were rigid. Rules have proven disproportionate in practice. Readability and hazard communication remain mandatory, with compliance assessed holistically and supported by Echa guidance. Digital contact. Digital labelling. The introduction of a digital contact is a modern, accessible, technology neutral solution. It improves enforcement, ensures information remains up to date, and relieves pressure on physical labels, particularly for multilingual products, without weakening consumer protection. Proportionate solutions for small and technical packaging. We have proposed targeted derogations for small packaging, packaging up to seven 75ml and technical containers integrated We could address real physical constraints. These measures prevent unnecessary packaging expansions at waste while ensuring hazard information remains accessible through outer packaging or digital means. Balanced transition periods label updates replacing the rigid six month update deadline with a requirement to act without undue delay alongside realistic transition periods, reflects operational realities across supply chains.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. A well known Chinese platform was selling guns at $6 with child like appearances until last week. The fact that the commercial offer does not come from the depths of the dark web, but from one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world, demonstrates once again the importance of the opinion we are discussing today. Young people and children are increasingly confronted with illegal content, cyberbullying and problematic challenges that put their physical health at risk. This is on top of the increasing time that children aged 9 to 15 spend on screens and social media, which has more than doubled the consequences on their development and mental health may be reversible. For this reason, they must be investigated. All this reminds us that the solutions to these pan-European problems can only be European. Having a robust framework is not enough unless we implement and enforce it. We must insist on the strict implementation of the Digital Services Act and consumer protection legislation. The Commission has a great responsibility in this area. It must initiate the necessary procedures more quickly and effectively. At the same time, however, we must also address new challenges such as the use of unfair practices in electronic games and digital addiction. For this reason, my amendments aim to address these challenges and create a safer online environment for young people and children. This includes strengthening the institutional framework at closing the loopholes by establishing an age of digital majority age for access to social networks, tackling the addictive functionalities of social media, establishing a harmonised system for age verification. Digital solutions so that parents can better control the time children spend at the purchases they make online, and more targeted information and empowerment campaigns in order to raise awareness about the risks of digital addiction and strengthen digital literacy. I look forward to working closely with the rapporteurs of the other groups to reach a compromise text that will provide concrete solutions to address the consequences of acts of excessive exposure to the internet and ensure a safer online environment for youth. Thank you.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Thank you very much madam president commissioner dear colleagues the single market is a success of the European Union it can provide jobs and bring a competitive advantage but we cannot fully benefit from all of these advantages. We have different markets twenty seven different markets citizens pay higher prices when it comes to electricity bills or to access particular services there is unfair competition that we see from Chinese platform companies for example. So it's not just an economic choice this is a strategic need to complete the single market we need to see energy prices come down we need households to have lower bills so we need to take this step forward. This is not just a technical aspect this is an important step forward to European integration thank you very much.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “Thank you sir. Dear sir, dear colleagues, today's vote is an important moment from the very beginning. Our objective was clear to deliver real simplification, to maintain the highest level of protection and to build a broad, stable majority around the workable science based proposal. I believe we have achieved exactly that. Let me be absolutely clear from the outset. The protection of human health is non-negotiable. Under no circumstances will this proposal lower existing safety standards. On the contrary, we are reinforcing a system that is science based, credible and trusted by European consumers. But at the same time, we must also ensure for the European industry and SMEs that the rules are predictable, proportionate and implementable in practice. This is what this compromise delivered on CRP and we have delivered a strong and balanced outcome. An 18 month transition period aligned with supply chains realities simplified the labelling rules, including font size, are aligned with existing frameworks and importantly, we avoided additional regulatory complexity, ensuring legal certainty for companies. This is a real simplification, known not deregulation on cosmetics. The cosmetic chapter was the most politically sensitive, and rightly so. Here we had a very clear time line no compromise on safety, but also no unrealistic regulation. Our approach was clear safety first, science first. We ensured that safety decisions remain strictly science based. Substitution of similar substances happened safely and responsibly. Transition periods are realistic, allowing proper reformulation and avoiding unnecessary product withdrawal. This is not about lowering ambition. It's about making sure that regulation works in practice and delivers results. Because, let's be honest, rushing substitution without proper testing does not protect consumers. It risks going the opposite. Colleagues, this is a carefully balanced compromise, I believe, supported by a broad majority. It reflects a clear political choice, not more bureaucracy, but better regulation. Not theoretical rules, but rules that work in practice. Let me conclude with one clear message Europe must protect its citizens, but it must also protect its capability to produce, innovate and compete. Thank you.”
  Classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals
• “Yes, sir. We will agree that regulatory decisions must be grounded in complete science at the coherent procedures. Greece as rapporteur member state proposed a category two CM classification does not require requiring substitution. It was a decision based on a benaki fit of Phytopathological Institute's evidence. Who is the scientific advisor. Despite pressure from some expert groups for a category one classification, the Greek authorities kept its position at accurately reflected the relevant comments in the working documents of the Biocidal Products Committee plenary meeting in November. The BA. The Biocidal Products Committee of ICA decided, due to the lack of consensus, to resume its discussions on the approval of ethanol as an active substance in disinfectants in February 2026. It aims to adopt the opinion later that year. It was a responsible decision to continue the discussion in February 2026. For a substance with wide societal industrial relevance, aroused or unbalanced decisions could undermine both public trust and A regulatory credibility in parallel under the CLP regulation. The General Chemical State Laboratory is preparing the annex 15 dossier and is awaiting essential new data from industry, including a physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling and quantitative structure, activity relationship analysis and biomonitoring studies to clarify the role of dermal exposure. This result will only be available in mid 2026. Colleagues, this is not just a technical file, it is a test of how we handle scientific uncertainty in EU policy making. We owe citizens a process that is evidence based, transparent and proportionate. Before adopting any harmonised classification with major downstream consequences. We must ensure that full data set is on the table. That is the only way to deliver decisions that are trusted, robust and defendable. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Thank you. Thank you, chair. Dear colleagues, after a thorough assessment of the objection, I consider that the draft implementing decision is taking into account all the options. First, it's fully in line with EU law. It's true that PD often presents certain unfavorable properties, including category two persistence. However, this do not constitute cut off criteria under regulation number 1107. The substance has undergone a comprehensive scientific assessment over nearly a decade by Member States Efsa. The Commission Efsa identified no critical area of concern, meaning no unacceptable risk to human health or the environment when used under defined conditions. Second, strong safeguards are already in place. Its approval as a candidate for substitution ensures a shorter approval period. Mandatory comparative assessment at strict conditions, meaning it can only be authorised where no safer alternatives exist and the risks are properly managed. In addition, targeted risk mitigation measures are required for operators, consumers and the environment and science must guide our decisions. The objection focuses primarily on hazard. But our system is based on risk. On risk assessment. Hazard does not automatically mean risk. Efsa has not identified specific concerns, only a data gap for which no validated test method currently exists. This alone cannot justify rejection in the absence of demonstrated risk. Finally, we must consider that the agricultural reality often is an important fungicide used to protect crops such as grapes, apples, pears and vegetables, and to control serious fungal diseases. It helps to fill gaps where where alternatives are limited, replace substances already withdrawn and provide a new mode of action essential for resistance management at a time when farmers are already facing a shrinking toolbox rejected, it would further limit their options without a clear safety justification. Colleagues, this is not about lowering standards. It's about applying EU law consistently based on science and evidence while ensuring workable solutions in practice. I therefore propose that the committee reject this objection. Thank you.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “Thank you. Children are spending more and more time staring at the screen, because digital media for them is a very important way of communicating. But they see content they shouldn't and this has dreadful consequences for their mental health. Parents cannot control their children, so there is no time to lose. We need more radical measures at the European level, for example, the digital coming of age identity card. So no one under the age of 13 should have access to social media. And for the ages between 13 to 16, only after parental leave. We also need to have an age verification system and more initiatives to strengthen the skills of parents and teachers. But we have to be sincere, it's companies that have most are mostly to blame because you shouldn't use these platforms as a fig leaf for, um, responsibility to be shown onto parents and teachers.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Thank you, Mister Mann. Now we'll pass the floor to the political group's representative representatives, starting from Esther Hernandez Garcia from EPP. **Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ (Spain, S&D): Thank you, Chair. I'm going to speak in Spanish, well. Thank you very much indeed for the work done by the Court of Auditors and also the European Commission for their explanations. There is one point here which is the forestries and forest fires, which is something that member states have to manage basically. There is an administrative hassle, and that is because it's the municipalities, it's the regions within the member states, and that is the member states. So there are many cases where there is a huge organization required. So there's also excessive bureaucracy because many of the rules we have in the EU are very exclusive and restrictive. They are to protect the natural nature, but it prevents carrying out the necessary measures to protect it. In paragraph thirteen, the Court of Auditors says that the fire blocks or clearances will not be maintained that we need in the member states, in particular those in the south who have so many problems with forest fires in the summers. Well, there are national, it's our national members which allows for preventing, putting in firebreaks. These are national measures which in Spain mean we would prevent the, we would not allow us for implementing prevention measures. Have you considered allocating funds to explain to the local and regional authorities and the residents of the rural areas to explain how they can act and which measures they can take and at what time of year they need to do it? And then in paragraph twenty-four, you say there's an underlying cause which is not being dealt with. Well, what really causes the fire is not being considered in the member states' measures. There are abandoned crops, there are unmanaged plant coverage which fuel adds more fuel to the fires, and all of these things that need to be made clear with a manual of good practice so that everyone has a very clear idea from the outset. Because what we've got now is a lot of available money from the Commission, as we've seen even in the MR funds, but what we don't have is any kind of good prevention policy, mostly because the member states don't put the co-financing funds in to correspond to the European funds. For example, in Greece, there's 8.237 million euros in the fight against fires, Portugal 115, Spain only 221 million euros according to what you've got in your documents. Why can't we oblige member states to do what they need to and to repair the land so that we don't have these devastating fires in the summer? Thank you.”
  Management of EU forests
• “Yes. Good evening. Please take your seats. We now move to the consideration of the draft report, please. On the on the proposal for a regulation on the European Chemicals Agency, which aims to establish a self-standing basic regulation for the agency that gives it the resources, structure and flexibility to successfully fulfill its growing tasks. I will first invite the rapporteur, Mr. Clézio, to present his report and then give the shadows the opportunity to intervene. After that, I welcome Mr. Sousa Silva Sousa Silva from the Budget Committee, who is the rapporteur for the budgetary assessment of this proposal, to provide his perspective. After I catch the eye round, I will invite Andrea Bardazzi from the commission to react and finally give the floor back to Mr. Clézio for his concluding remarks. So, Mr. Roso, you have the floor.”
  Discharge of EU institutions and agencies