Opinions

In 2021 the European Commission announced the revision of the Council Directive 2011/64/EU on the excise rules for tobacco. In the inception impact assessment, the EC stated that there are areas of weakness and ambiguity in the current legal arrangements which give rise to market distortions, legal uncertainty and can also hinder the detection and prevention of fraud. The review will ensure that the rules remain fit for the purpose and improve the proper functioning of the internal market, and a high level of health protection. The policy changes focus on:

One of the main conclusions of the 8th Cohesion Report is that although cohesion and convergence among regions in the European Union has improved, there are still remaining gaps especially in less developed regions related with their territorial characteristics. EU islands, mountain areas and sparsely populated areas still face many challenges on their growth and income and disparities exist.

In these regions, there are still a lot of gaps in terms of employment and investment, social exclusion is evident and gender disparities have not diminished.

Dans son programme de travail 2023, la Commission européenne a annoncé une proposition pour un deuxième panier de nouvelles ressources propres, s'appuyant notamment sur la proposition d'un ensemble unique de règles fiscales pour faire des affaires en Europe (BEFIT). L'objectif de ces mesures sera de garantir des types de revenus plus diversifiés et résilients et d'éviter des réductions indues des programmes de l'Union ou des augmentations excessives des contributions des États membres, en vue de rembourser le volet subvention du plan de relance NextGenerationEU. Dans la perspective de la proposition à venir qui sera publiée au troisième trimestre 2023, la Commission européenne a demandé au Comité économique et social européen de rendre un avis exploratoire à ce sujet afin d'alimenter la préparation de la proposition de la Commission.