An efficient intellectual property rights system is a staple of any solid industrial strategy. However, counterfeiting not only leads to losses of revenue for IP rightsholders, but also poses significant risks to consumer safety, public health and the environment. The initiative taken by the Commission with its Recommendation on measures to combat counterfeiting and enhance the enforcement of intellectual property rights will aim to protect the integrity of the single market. The cross-border nature of the trade in counterfeit goods and their online dissemination means that Member States alone cannot do this. EU intervention is therefore the best course of action.
Member States should facilitate inclusive engagement, openness and transparency with civil society in all areas of RWM. Available funding should be used to increase the capacity of civil society groups, particularly local communities close to nuclear installations, to participate independently in projects and studies to assess participation and transparency practices in RWM. Member States shall assume all their responsibilities so as not to leave future generations with the burden of processing nuclear waste, whatever its nature, lifespan and hazard level. The development of shared solutions, including but not limited to multinational radioactive waste repositories, could be of interest to some EU Member States, particularly countries with small or medium-sized inventories.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) was asked by the upcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU to produce an exploratory opinion on paving the way to EU accession for the Western Balkans, underlining the benefits of the future enlargement to the region from a holistic point of view.
The European Union’s ambitious climate targets have significantly impacted resource and energy-intensive industries (REIIs), which are crucial to the EU economy. These industries face rising costs due to high energy prices, carbon pricing, and regulatory changes. This opinion reflects on the optimal solutions to maintain the competitiveness of EU industry in face if the rising energy prices and the costs required to support the transition towards a low-carbon economy. The EU Youth Test at the EESC was applied to this opinion.
The European Green Deal set the path for a critical transition related to climate and circularity. The current transformation change concerns all sectors of economy, mainly transport, energy, industry and agriculture. It is critical to ensure a synergetic approach between the goals of the Green Deal and other important EU goals, such as innovation, competitiveness and access to critical raw materials. A better understanding of how the different EU adopted legislative acts interact with each other is needed. Moreover, the Green Deal legislation should also reflect the current economic and political situation in which we are living.
The own initiative opinion aims at identifying acts and particular measures stemming from the Green Deal that need a recalibration in order to avoid any contradictions, damage to the environment, consumer health and EU competitiveness.
Exploratory opinion requested by the Hungarian presidency on the policy measures and framework needed to support the EU industry to transform and decarbonize.
Download — EESC opinion: What EU policies are needed for enterprises/business to become competitive in a fair, sustainable, stronger and more resilient way to realize the European Green Deal
The well-functioning Single Market is a main asset of the EU. It is clearly the quality of the overall legislative framework that matters for businesses when making investment decisions, being a key competitiveness factor.
