Microplastics are persistent, very mobile, and hard to remove from nature. Microplastics are widespread in the world and in the human body, and a cause of growing concerns. Plastic pellets are found in water and soil, including agricultural lands, and harm ecosystems and biodiversity. Plastic pellets are the one of the largest sources of unintentional microplastic pollution.
For the first time, the European Commission proposes measures to prevent microplastic pollution from the unintentional release of plastic pellets.
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The EC proposes establishing a Head Office Tax system for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (HOT), and amending Directive 2011/16/EU. The objective of the proposal is to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating cross-border through permanent establishments (PE) the option to interact with only one tax administration – that of the Head Office – instead of having to comply with multiple tax systems.
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The Commission is proposing new rules to create a legal form for European cross-border operations of non-profit associations, which will coexist with national non-profit associations. They will serve as a vehicle to facilitate the operations of associations with activities in more than one Member State. The new rules will eliminate legal and administrative obstacles, supporting the freedom of establishment, the free provision of services and goods, the freedom of capital and the mobility rights of non-profit associations. The proposal also encourages measures to ensure the interoperability of national registers with existing tools at EU level, such as the Single Digital Gateway, in order to allow automated access and exchange of data and/or use of agreed minimum standards to ensure comparability of data and the Internal Market Information System (IMI) to support administrative cooperation between competent authorities.
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EESC exploratory opinion NAT/913 - Towards the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027: for an agricultural sector that meets economic, social and environmental needs
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The Belgian presidency asked the EESC to provide an opinion on how to tackle poverty through social innovation and the development of the social economy. The fight against poverty and social exclusion must take into account the numerous dimensions of the concept of poverty that affect access to employment, education, healthcare, housing, food, mobility, digital tools, energy and culture, among other things. A cross-cutting approach to poverty is therefore essential in order to ensure social inclusion. Even though all economic actors are involved in the fight against poverty, it is up to the state to exercise its full responsibility in this area. The social economy contributes to this fight in an organic and cross-cutting way, through its diverse activities and social orientation.
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The Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union asked the EESC to provide their insights on the rethinking of the internal market in light of the acceleration of the Union’s twin transitions towards a green and digital economy and on crafting a European Industrial Strategy that positions industries as the backbone of Europe's economy.
Download — Tuairim ó CESE: Developing a new European strategy for the Internal Market: helping our businesses to meet technological, social, environmental and competition challenges
EU rules on late payments have triggered a reduction in payment delays. However, still more than 60% of businesses in the EU are not paid on time and small and medium-sized enterprises are most affected. The initiative will provide relief to SMEs by revising existing EU payment rules based on available and upcoming evidence to promote a definitive shift towards a culture of “prompt payment".
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Corruption and the lack of rule of law undermine the mutual trust that is underpinning the internal market. The EESC believes that efforts to fight corruption should be better aligned with efforts to safeguard and develop democracy in the EU. Moreover, the EESC stresses that the EU must prioritise evaluating the legislative framework on the integrity of public procurement and its implementation in practice and believes that the cross-debarment system could be useful for protecting the internal market from misuse of public resources allocated to tenders.
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Proposal for a Directive of the European parliament and of the Council amending Directives 1999/2/EC, 2000/14/EC, 2011/24/EU and 2014/53/EU as regards certain reporting requirements in the fields of food and food ingredients, outdoor noise, patients’ rights, and radio equipment.
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EESC opinion on the Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards the time limits for the adoption of sustainability reporting standards for certain sectors and for certain third-country undertakings.
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According to the EESC, the EU Disability Card should be voluntary and free of charge and its scope extended to provide access to services and benefits to people who are in another Member State on a temporary basis. The cards should be accompanied by the setting up of an EU, fully accessible website, with an easy-to-read version, available in all EU languages including sign languages, providing practical information for every country.
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The revision of the Victims' Rights Directive aims to ensure that victims' rights are ensured, easier to access and improved for all victims' of crimes throughout the Union. The EESC welcomes this proposal and supports the following: improving the individual assessment of victims' needs, paying particular attention to more vulnerable or marginalised groups; improving guidelines and training so that such assessments are done correctly; enhancing the victim's right to information and having the right to review a decision during court proceedings; strengthening compensation schemes for victims.
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