The EESC deems that reporting obligations should not be limited solely to exchanges and transfers in crypto-assets;
stresses the need for effective and proportional penalties, leaving the decision on the specific amounts of sanctions to be issued up to the Member States;
hopes that the penalties and compliance measures will be able to strike a proper balance between effective rules and adequate deterrence on one hand, and proportionality on the other.
The EESC underlines that increased equity funding for European companies is key and therefore strongly welcomes the Listing Act proposed by the Commission;
believes that bringing family-owned companies to capital markets would open up untapped potential to attract capital for growth, and a multiple-voting rights regime helps families to retain control, making listing more attractive to them;
estimates that the publication of a full-scale document, and not only the summary, in national languages would empower local retail investors. Using "English-only" issuance documents would hinder the development of a national retail investment base.
The EESC expected a clearer stance on reducing exposure to UK central counterparties (CCPs) and more specific rules and incentives after Brexit;
asks the Commission to explain the specific definition of the term "urgently", and for the co-legislators to establish which exemptions are considered "urgent" decisions;
proposes that civil society be involved in the monitoring mechanism established under Article 23c, and that the EESC takes part in the Joint Monitoring Mechanism as an observer.
The EESC calls for constant attention paid during implementation to the most marginalised young people, including young people with disabilities;
Believes that the expertise and experience of youth organisations in the EU, and around the world, is a great resource in the delivery of the plan;
Recommends that target countries should be encouraged and given the tools to have their own tangible dedicated youth policies and national youth councils or equivalents;
Suggests that activities focusing on education should be centred on equality, particularly protecting young girls.
The EESC believes that the central and active role of citizens, who should be placed at the centre of the policies, is not appropriately considered in the Commission's report. Citizens should be at the core of the Energy Union and integrated into the market as real "prosumers";
underlines the lack of clear European coordination during the energy crisis and, in order to support workers and businesses in difficulty, calls for the creation of an instrument based on the SURE model.
the link between the energy transition and the digital transformation, stressing the benefits of digitalisation in terms of energy savings, reduced energy intensity and better management of energy infrastructure.
the importance of strengthening the role of active consumers in digitalisation and of encouraging and entitling them to use as many smart solutions as possible. The tools must be user-friendly, and vulnerable groups and people with disabilities must be in focus: if the social dimension is neglected in the implementation, the transformation risks failing due to public resistance.
An increase in the use of sustainable wood in construction, especially in public buildings, is essential to reduce carbon emissions and must be promoted through active and sustainable forest management in the EU.
Quality-based procurement procedures, allowing innovative solutions as well as including sustainability and life-cycle criteria, are a prerequisite for achieving climate objectives and promoting timber construction.
It is key to establish minimum standards for life-cycle carbon emissions from buildings and for the corresponding carbon reporting requirement across the construction sector.
instant payments should also be made available in the seven other currencies in use in the EU besides the euro, as their success will depend on how easily reachable the service is for EU consumers and businesses;
checking that the account number (IBAN) and the name of the beneficiary correspond should be mandatory for all credit transfers across the EU, not just for instant payments. This will help make all money transfers more secure;
no separate fee should be charged for this check; the price should be included in the price of the instant payment itself.
Proposal for a Directive. Clean air is essential for our health and that of the environment. Reducing air pollution has large co-benefits for climate mitigation, energy security and biodiversity, and it increases the resilience of populations for pandemics. To this end, the EU sets standards to avoid the build-up of excessive pollution concentrations. As part of the European Green Deal, the EU is revising these standards, to align them more closely with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
