- 2026-02-18 “answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission 21.5.2026 Written questions E-10-2026-000687_EN E-10-2026-000688_EN Under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 [1] , the ‘responsible person’ [2] must ensure compliance of cosmetics on the EU market, while enforcement, including import controls, is carried out by Member States based on national, risk-based strategies . Non-compliant products are detained at customs when breaches of compliance are suspected and referred to market surveillance authorities (MSAs) for confirmation. In 2025, the Commission coordinated Priority Control Area actions carried out by customs and MSAs in all 27 Member States, investigating the level of non-compliance of e-commerce consignments, including cosmetics . Through documentary and laboratory checks, almost 6000 cosmetics were inspected, with an average non-compliance rate of 65% [3] . The ongoing revision of the Union Customs Code [4] aims to strengthen EU customs’ import supervision, including on cosmetics, through a more robust and efficient framework, digital tools and closer cooperation of customs and MSAs. The Commission’s upcoming proposal on the European Product Act (which revises the Market Surveillance Regulation [5] ) also aims to improve compliance with product rules. While there is no centralised EU inspection system, information on enforcement actions [6] is exchanged through the Information Communication System for Market Surveillance [7] , the Customs Risk Management System [8] and the Safety Gate rapid alert system [9] [10] . As market surveillance enforcement is organised nationally and risk-based and customs controls are carried out by the national customs authorities, inspections vary across Member States. The Commission therefore does not collect harmonised EU-wide statistics on the number or types of inspections carried out at customs and MSAs on a per product sector basis. [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02009R1223-20250901. [2] The concept of ‘responsible person’ is defined by Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. [3] https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/news/protein-powder-sunglasses-moisturiser-what-do-these-products-have-common-if-you-buy-them-online-they-2026-03-03_en. [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52023PC0258, introduced as part of the EU Customs Reform, has received provisional agreement from the co-legislators on 26 March 2026 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260323IPR38815/deal-reached-on-union-customs-code-reform). [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02019R1020-20240523. [6] Enforcement actions may include refusal of entry at the EU border (detention or rejection of consignments), withdrawal from the market, recall of products from consumers, destruction of non-compliant goods, corrective actions required from economic operators (e.g. relabelling or reformulation). [7] https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/single-market-compliance-space/market-surveillance. [8] https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/customs-risk-management/customs-risk-management-framework-crmf_en. [9] National measures adopted against cosmetic products presenting serious risk are notified through the Safety Gate Rapid Alert System and can be consulted on the Safety Gate Portal: https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate/#/screen/home. [10] In 2025, 36% of the alerts were related to cosmetic products and chemical risk is the most frequently (53%) notified one: https://op.europa.eu/webpub/just/safety-gate-2025-report/en/#section-3.”
Pharmaceutical imports & exports rules · EU policy on custom fee on non-EU imports
- 2026-02-13 “E-000645/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has indeed received a complaint concerning legislation in Poland on pharmacy ownership. The Commission has taken the necessary steps to assess the complaint in accordance with its standard procedures. The assessment is currently ongoing. At this stage, the Commission cannot provide an indicative timeframe, as it is still examining the recent submission from the complainant. The complainant will be informed in due course of the Commission’s assessment of the alleged violations of EU law raised.”
Public and private sectors role in healthcare services · Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU
- 2025-11-10 “E-004432/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has not yet issued a proposal for new ecodesign requirements for solid fuel local space heaters and no policy conclusions have been drawn. However, the current Ecodesign Regulation 1 provides for a review of the existing measures, and the Commission has therefore launched a dialogue with industry and other stakeholders, including a Consultation Forum and a call for written input, to prepare the impact assessment that will evaluate possible changes. The impact assessment will include an analysis of the impacts of different heating options on affordability, along with analysis of other social, economic as well as environmental impacts of different options. The coherence with existing EU policies and legislative frameworks, including on climate, is an integral part of the impact assessment, which will duly consider the renewable nature of biomass. Regarding user education, one of the measures being considered is a quick user guide to be provided with the product, whereby the manufacturer of the appliance explains to the user how to operate the appliance to optimise fuel combustion and minimise the emission of pollutants. Other complementary measures such as awareness campaigns are not in the scope of ecodesign but could be considered at national level. 1 Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1185 of 24 April 2015 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for solid fuel local space heaters (http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/1185/oj).”
Energy (green transition) · Energy efficiency
- 2025-07-21 “E-003016/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission Annex II Part A (2) of Regulation (EU)1169/2011 1 on the provision of food information to consumers, provides that, in the case of foods that have been frozen before sale and which are sold defrosted, the name of the food shall be accompanied by the designation ‘defrosted’. This obligation is not applicable to foods, including fishery products, for which freezing is a technologically necessary step of the production process. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1141 2 does not change the well-established temperature requirements for storage and transport of frozen and fresh fishery products nor the labelling requirements; therefore, analysing the impact on labelling of those products was considered as unnecessary. The responsibility of a correct labelling is up to the food business operators and the Commission has no evidence so far that ‘the majority of producers operating outside of Poland do not label their products in accordance with the requirements’, nor that producers are exceeding the 96-hour limit when using machines that slice or cut fishery products for the so called ‘stiffening’ process. The Commission considers the current labelling rules for fishery products sufficiently clear and is not planning to review them. 1 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj. 2 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/1141/oj.”
Food labelling harmonisation at EU level
- 2025-07-17 “E-002988/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission As announced in the European Water Resilience Strategy 1 and as requested by the European Parliament resolution on this subject 2 , the Commission will, in the context of the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) 3 , conduct an updated study. The Commission is fully aware of the importance to have this study available without delays and to secure high quality. The study, which will be made available as soon as possible, will cover the costs of the quaternary treatment as well as the potential impacts of EPR on concerned sectors and will be based on the most recent and relevant data. The figures on toxic loads originating from different sectors mentioned by the Honourable Members were presented by the Cosmetics industry and have not been validated by the Commission. Preparations for the implementation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 4 are ongoing, including consultations with relevant stakeholders. As indicated in this Directive 5 , each producer’s contribution under the EPR will be determined on the basis of the quantities and hazardousness in the urban wastewater of the substances contained in the products that are placed on the market and not on the basis of the figures from the impact assessment. A full evaluation of the Directive 6 is planned by 2033 at a time when only a limited part of the quaternary treatment will have to be in place (between 10 and 20%) 7 . Moreover, the EPR system should be implemented as optimally as possible, in particular from a cost-benefit perspective, and requires Member States to organise regular dialogues on its implementation with relevant stakeholders. The Commission is also fostering exchanges of information and best practices to achieve a well-functioning and proportionate EPR system 8 . 1 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/environment/water-resilience-strategy_en. 2 European Parliament resolution of 7 May 2025 on the European Water Resilience Strategy (2024/2104(INI). 3 Article 9 of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast), OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/3019/oj/eng. 5 Article 9.3 c) of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast), OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024. 6 Article 30 of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast), OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024. 7 Article 8 of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast), OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024. 8 Article 10 of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast), OJ L, 2024/3019, 12.12.2024.”
Water pollution
- “Thank you so much. Thank you. Commissioner. I will use my mother tongue. Thank you. Chair. Thank you for introducing the strategy. I think, Madam Commissioner, we're not just interested in the words, but also in the effects of the strategy. I agree with all the points. Um, uh, pay, pay, pay equality, if access to abortion. Et cetera. Et cetera. But looking at today's world, I'm rather dismayed because when it comes to safety of women, we can see that in recent times, especially when we're looking at online violence, it's reached an unprecedented scale. It used to be a just a marginal phenomenon, but now it affects women across the across the board. Deepfakes threats, the sharing of intimate pictures without consent ruin people's reputations, and they push women out of public debate. We cannot allow a situation where the digital space becomes a free for all and a lawless space. But there are also. We've got to remember Rural women, because rights also have an aspect, a rural dimension, because those women have not got as much access to rights, it's much more difficult for them to fight against stereotypes, against violence. They don't have the same kind of access as city women. But also we've got to have a look at. Different areas in Europe, very often you've got restrictions depending on where you are. When you're talking about equality, you've got some women who find themselves, who find themselves in difficulties when it comes to getting financing for their organizations, depending on when, where, where they are.”
Gender roles, equality and inclusion
- “President. Commissioner, let's look at this chemicals package. There are good things. Good things in terms of innovation and in terms of competitiveness of our European industry. But when it comes to cosmetics, we have a dangerous state of affairs. There's a cocktail effect, an interaction between different rules. We might actually end up banning some substances that are actually harmless. But then another issue, the CMR, we have the derogation from the first category, but it doesn't always work. We have unrealistic criteria here. The industry cannot present a Um, substance correctly, even if the substance is harmless. So that could potentially harm innovation and thousands of products that are in the pipeline. So this could potentially constitute a risk, a risk for SMEs who, uh, are facing unfair competition from companies outside of the union. I'm glad that the European Commission is really honing in on human health. We're talking about clear, clear rules, clear scope. That is a very good approach. And it's good to have a knowledge or scientific based approach. And when it comes to, uh, red tape, it's not just about deregulation. The aim is to have better rules which can actually be implemented correctly. We want to have rules and laws in place that are good for people, but which are also good for industry.”
Chemicals regulation
- “Thank you very much, chairman. Commissioner. Thank you very much for providing all of this information. You know, uh, we politicians are responsible to our voters. We have to create laws which allow companies to develop, develop, and we need to protect jobs and industry in Europe. Two questions. First of all, when it comes to the greening corporate fleets, this should only affect large companies. Yet the commission is defining this as all vehicles registered by one entity legal entity. This would impact SMEs but also individual consumers who use use leasing. So I'd like to ask you, how will you modify these provisions? Will this only affect large companies? Second question. Electric vehicles. You know Commissioner very well that in order to manufacture an electric car. We need you need rare earths. In the European Union. 90% of needs are met by imports from China. All of the pressure on electric vehicles. What does this mean? That Europeans will be driving Chinese cars. Or how should European companies act to be able to manufacture electric vehicles That could compete with Chinese vehicles and thus. Um, China. What would happen with our industry now?”
Road transport environmental policy
- “Thank you so much, president. Cardiovascular diseases are the main reason cause of death of women in Europe. But because they are misdiagnosed and not treated correctly, uh, this still persists. Uh, and this is something that often the very patients and the whole system of, uh, healthcare does not consider. Therefore, higher mortality, uh, women have different kinds of reactions to, uh, medical, medical, uh, to medicine, uh, to drugs. And even though they, uh, start being sick later than men, their prognosis is often worse. And also they are not fully present in clinical trials and research. That's why I think that this plan needs to take into consideration the gender perspective in prevention and diagnostics and clinical research, and in training of professionals. We need to also take care of financial issues and also food. That is, UPS should also be labeled like cigarettes.”
Gender roles, equality and inclusion
- “What women have obtained during a number of years. We owe. Owing to hard work and hard fight of other women. Women fight for their rights. They fight against hate, against violence, sexual violence, economic violence, against pay gap and pension gap. Let's imagine men in women earn 12% more per every hour. And the difference does not disappear with time? No. It is accumulated throughout the whole professional life. And then the pension pay gap is even greater. Women, after 65 years of age have on average 25% less as their pension than men do. And it's not a matter just of payments of wages. It is a problem of general inequality in the market. Women more frequently work in such areas and sectors where they are worse paid. Education, care, social services and also we work more frequently part time or stop our career for a while because of family duties. And these inequalities are even more visible in peripheral and rural areas where women have limited access to trans public transportation to care services or labor market. This is why fighting the pay gap and pension gap requires a wider approach. Because economic equality of women is not just a matter of social and of social justice. It is a condition of the stability of our system and of our European economy. Thank you.”
Gender pay transparency
- “Thank you very much, Commissioner. I have two questions. The cosmetics sector is one of the drivers of innovation in Europe, and it has been affected adversely by regulation. So will the Commission consider a more balanced regulation of A cosmetics ingredients friendly to the environment, but also. Taking into account the competitiveness of our companies. And the second question concerns a review of the reach, regulation and possible restrictions on ethanol in cosmetics. Ethanol is a common ingredient of, uh, perfumes. The other ones, uh, um, and other products, uh, for example, hygienic products. And it's, uh, a ban on ethanol could mean greater costs and, uh, uh, greater burdens to the consumers as well as, uh, thwarting innovations. Uh, so how will the commission, uh, control negative consequences of these changes to the competitiveness of the European industry? Because we all know that. New categories are. Ethanol will fall into a new category, but it should have to do with, uh, preventing excessive alcohol consumption rather than adversely affecting, uh, the cosmetics industry. So how can this be reconciled so that some products are not banned? Because this can lead, uh, to, thwart the development of the cosmetics industry in Europe. Thank you.”
Chemicals regulation
- “Thank you very much. As we know, ethanol has been a fundamental ingredient in cosmetics, for example. It's produced from renewable raw material and is easily biodegradable in perfumes. It's a key carrier of scents which can't be replaced without losing a quality of the product. It's also used as a solvent in many health applications. Categorizing it as a CMR one might lead to disruption in the functioning of the European cosmetics sector. It would affect a number of big companies and producers. Uses now. The health issues really relate to ingesting ethanol. So I wonder if the commission is going to ban whiskey and wine and other alcohols in member states because alcohol is carcinogenic. These studies should be on oral ingestion of ethanol and not application to the skin. If you don't do that, then you're going to have to ban all companies who produce alcohol. Let's look at the hospitals. Let's look at that. Disinfectants are produced using ethanol. Another question for you. Is there a company in Europe who has invented a substitute for ethanol? And will that company then have the road opened up before it to replace the companies that have currently been working and take those jobs away from them. There's going to be high social and economic costs of this. Cmr one classification would that be proportional to the real risk? Wouldn't the classification create unnecessary fears amongst consumers? Yes, there could be an exemption, but I would just point out that there's been no exemptions in the last 10 or 15 years. For example, in the cosmetics sector, with the derogation for ethanol in the cosmetic sector really be given. How does the Commission see in practice? The exemption process without social and economic damage for the sector, for the citizens and for our health. I am shocked and amazed that the Commission is trying to do something like this without looking at competitiveness, common sense, or indeed real science.”
Chemicals regulation
- “Thank you. Commissioner. Commissioner. Commissioner. The environmental package was supposed to make all the legislative acts more consistent. And the interest in public consultation shows that regulatory simplification is a systematic need of European industry. And I am concerned when I see, just like many colleagues, that the omnibus package does not refer to key legislative acts such as the packaging regulation, sustainable products or municipal waste treatment. So in terms of the Waste Directive, there have been many messages from the MEPs, but also from the member states, pointing to the fact that these legislative acts are impossible to implement. So in the light of the implementation of these new legislative acts, which is related to a high risk of these, extended producer responsibility. Would you consider implementing the stop the clock clause when, according to article nine and ten of the Waste Directive and Annex three, it would be possible to carry out a impact assessment which would be based on credible data on evidence based on the polluter pays principle. As it has been mentioned many times by both MEPs and the Member States and the stakeholders that are concerned by these legislative initiatives. Thank you.”
Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
- “What women have obtained during a number of years. We owe. Owing to hard work and hard fight of other women. Women fight for their rights. They fight against hate, against violence, sexual violence, economic violence, against pay gap and pension gap. Let's imagine men in women earn 12% more per every hour. And the difference does not disappear with time? No. It is accumulated throughout the whole professional life. And then the pension pay gap is even greater. Women, after 65 years of age have on average 25% less as their pension than men do. And it's not a matter just of payments of wages. It is a problem of general inequality in the market. Women more frequently work in such areas and sectors where they are worse paid. Education, care, social services and also we work more frequently part time or stop our career for a while because of family duties. And these inequalities are even more visible in peripheral and rural areas where women have limited access to trans public transportation to care services or labor market. This is why fighting the pay gap and pension gap requires a wider approach. Because economic equality of women is not just a matter of social and of social justice. It is a condition of the stability of our system and of our European economy. Thank you.”
Gender roles, equality and inclusion
- “What women have obtained during a number of years. We owe. Owing to hard work and hard fight of other women. Women fight for their rights. They fight against hate, against violence, sexual violence, economic violence, against pay gap and pension gap. Let's imagine men in women earn 12% more per every hour. And the difference does not disappear with time? No. It is accumulated throughout the whole professional life. And then the pension pay gap is even greater. Women, after 65 years of age have on average 25% less as their pension than men do. And it's not a matter just of payments of wages. It is a problem of general inequality in the market. Women more frequently work in such areas and sectors where they are worse paid. Education, care, social services and also we work more frequently part time or stop our career for a while because of family duties. And these inequalities are even more visible in peripheral and rural areas where women have limited access to trans public transportation to care services or labor market. This is why fighting the pay gap and pension gap requires a wider approach. Because economic equality of women is not just a matter of social and of social justice. It is a condition of the stability of our system and of our European economy. Thank you.”
Gender pay transparency
- “Thank you so much. A very important topic also in Poland. We have been gathering data concerning biodiversity and forests, and we have planned for obtaining data for even more years. We have also education, ecological education. And I want to thank those who work in the Polish forestry sector because they take care of our wonderful forests and we can really be proud of them. And that is why I do not see. I do not understand why the Commission wants to change the rules and the activities which are in the remit of the Member States. It is additional costs, additional burden, bureaucratic, financial and we remember the what Mrs. von der Leyen said, she said less bureaucratic burden, less financial burden, more trust, more activities working in the member states because there on site those who work in the forestry sector, they know best what to do, how to manage, how to protect the forest. So I do not understand why are we creating additional elements spent additional money from Brussels. We will not solve the problems of the forests where these problems can be seen. Thank you.”
Management of EU forests
- “And this isn't a unique phenomenon. This is part of a growing trend. That's why we've got to keep focused on this because this is something which affects the foundations of our community. Thank you very much, Madam Commissioner, for everything that you're doing. But I've been here in the European Parliament for many years now, and I can see that we have a long way ahead of us. We've done a great deal. We've made a few steps forward, but we haven't yet reached the end of the road. Yesterday I became a grandmother, and I also want my grandchildren to be able to live in a safe environment. Thank you very much. So I have a question, Madam Commissioner. What specific steps will the Commission take to fight against cyber cyberbullying? Sexual bullying against women is. And what about actions which will improve the lot of women living in rural areas. And what about women's organizations who are being subject to a subject to pressure from the authorities in certain areas, but thanks to the activities of women. I think that it will be possible to achieve our goals in the end. Thank you.”
Gender roles, equality and inclusion
- “Thank you very much. We need ambitious climate objectives, but they need to be realistic. And they cannot kill our industry. They cannot eliminate our jobs, and they cannot play into the hands of anti European groups. They cannot play into the hands of those who foster an anti-EU narrative. Thank you very much Commission, for listening to our arguments for taking into account our doubts which we have been expressing for months, if not for years. But I doubt whether it will be sufficient. Yes, you are being more pragmatic. We have range extenders, plug in hybrids, more flexibility. It's all happening too late, even though it was necessary. We want to protect our climate, but we also want our industry to remain competitive. That requires technological neutrality. The pace of the transformation should follow the market. What we don't need are regulations, which are beautiful on paper but cannot become reality. Thank you.”
Energy (green transition)