Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité
While European policies often aim to foster innovation, they sometimes inadvertently create obstacles for research and development (R&D) initiatives.
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.
The Belgian presidency would like the EESC to provide an opinion on how to tackle poverty through social innovation and the development of the social economy. This opinion will highlight the reforms needed to adapt the regulatory frameworks and to ensure sufficient financing for social economy initiatives.
Corruption and the lack of rule of law undermine the mutual trust that is underpinning the internal market. This opinion should contribute to bringing attention to how challenges to the rule of law affect the internal market and in particular public procurement.
Geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe with the unprovoked war in Ukraine, and various conflict cases that poses severe risks to peace and derails European direction towards economic and political integration, are calling for more efficient coordination and common long-term action in European Union in the field of defence cooperation.
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:
The European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) regulation will serve as the anchor for future joint development and procurement projects of high common interest to the security of the Member States and the Union.