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In September 2022, the Commission proposed a regulation to ban products made using forced labour from the EU internal market. Alongside national authorities, it will investigate suspicious products posing a higher and more impactful risk of forced labour. Those found to be made with forced labour will be withdrawn from the market. After reaching a provisional agreement on the text with the Council in March 2024, Parliament is due to vote on it during the April II plenary session.

In March 2023, the European Commission proposed a directive on promoting the repair of goods, seeking to mitigate current linear business and consumption patterns, marked by frequent and premature replacement and discarding of goods. The provisional political agreement reached in February 2024 by the Parliament and Council is scheduled for a vote during the April II plenary session.

During the April I plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on two provisional agreements reached with the Council on the hydrogen and decarbonised gas markets package, which would recast the 2009 EU Gas Directive and the 2009 EU Gas Regulation. These agreements resulting from interinstitutional negotiations, endorsed by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) in January 2024, substantially amend the texts originally proposed by the European Commission.

Economic indicators show that the United States (US) is the front-runner for both private investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and venture capital in generative AI, followed by China. US companies are also developing most of the large languages models (LLMs) underpinning AI innovation. EU starts-up are beginning to scale up.

The EU fisheries and aquaculture products (FAPs) market is largely dependent on external producers. Some of the imports entering the EU market come from countries with lenient regulations. This study gives an overview on existing competitiveness indicators. It shows main trends in the EU’s FAPs supply through extra-EU imports and identifies the main internal and external factors affecting the sector’s competitiveness. The research presents four case studies and an assessment of options for adaptations ...

The Construction Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, CPR) has applied fully since 1 July 2013. Its objective is to achieve the proper functioning of the internal market for construction products (such as waterproofing sheets, thermal insulation foams, chimneys and wood-based panels for permanent incorporation in construction works), by means of harmonised rules for their marketing in the EU. The CPR, which provides a common technical language to assess the performance of construction ...

European Union lawmakers reached a political agreement on the draft artificial intelligence (AI) act in December 2023. Proposed by the European Commission in April 2021, the draft AI act, the first binding worldwide horizontal regulation on AI, sets a common framework for the use and supply of AI systems in the EU. It offers a classification for AI systems with different requirements and obligations tailored on a 'risk-based approach'. Some AI systems presenting 'unacceptable' risks are prohibited ...

In May 2023, the European Commission tabled a customs reform package. Key to the reform is the proposal to establish an EU customs authority, which would oversee a new EU customs data hub. This would entail a more centralised and digitalised approach to customs, which should lower compliance costs for traders and ensure a more efficient, fraud-proof customs union. The proposal follows the ordinary legislative procedure. Parliament is due to vote on its first-reading report during the March plenary ...

The single market celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023. Although it has generally been a success story, a number of challenges remain. For instance, there is still no EU-wide harmonisation of the technical requirements for the road circulation of non-road mobile machinery. This has a negative effect on the functioning of the single market. This sector covers a broad range of machinery fitted with the means for self-propulsion – such as combine harvesters, excavators, ride-on mowers and forklifts ...

The EU fisheries and aquaculture products (FAPs) market is largely dependent on external producers. Some of the imports entering the EU market come from countries with lenient regulations. This study gives an overview on existing competitiveness measures. It shows main trends in the EU’s FAPs supply through extra-EU imports and identifies the main internal and external factors affecting the sector’s competitiveness. The research presents four case studies and an assessment of options for adaptations ...