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Statute for a European Foundation

At a Glance 27-06-2013

Public-benefit foundations make significant contributions to society in EU Member States (MS). In recent years many have expanded, to operate across borders. However, the lack of harmonised rules has caused problems of legal recognition in other MS and threatens to limit the potential value of the sector. The Commission has brought forward a proposal to tackle the issue.

Free movement of public documents

Briefing 19-06-2013

The numbers of Europeans working, studying or living in another Member State has grown to over 12 million. As part of daily life they are often required to present formal documents in one Member State which have been issued in another. In most cases, these documents are not accepted automatically but must undergo a process of authentication which can be both time consuming and costly.  The traditional method of authentication, known as ""legalisation"", which involved a series of separate checks ...

The joint European Transparency Register, which came into effect in June 2011, builds on experience gained with the previous Parliament and Commission registers. The Register is designed as a “one-stop-shop” for interest representatives and an unofficial directory of "lobby contacts" with the EU institutions. By June 2013, around 5 700 organisations, mostly based in Brussels, had registered. The inter-institutional agreement which established the Register included a review clause; a process which ...

The EU Accession procedure

Briefing 26-03-2013

The enlargement from a Community of six Member States (MS) to a Union of 27 is widely regarded as the EU’s greatest policy triumph. However even amongst those MS who have succeeded in joining, there have been significant differences in their experiences of the accession process. For current and potential candidate countries, completing the process is likely to prove even more challenging.

The EU administration has expanded considerably in recent decades. Not only have the institutions themselves grown in size and stature but new agencies, offices and bodies have been established. Despite this, the EU currently has no comprehensive legislation on citizens' procedural rights in respect of the EU's administrative process.

Public-benefit foundations play an important role in many facets of society across the EU as well as having significant economic value. They have grown in number considerably in recent years, with many wishing to maximise private-sector support through operating in more than one Member State. Differences in legal and fiscal practices and a heavy administrative burden have however frustrated this aim. In February, the Commission published a proposal for a Statute for a European Foundation. Its aim ...

The Resale Right Directive

At a Glance 15-11-2012

In 2011 the global art and antique trade was valued at over €46 million, with the EU having more than a one-third share. More than half of this figure is made up of modern and contemporary art. However, in contrast to the general acceptance of copyright globally there are different views on how visual artists should be remunerated. Within the EU such artists benefit from a resale right.

Revising the Data Retention framework

At a Glance 18-10-2012

The retention of data for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting serious crime is currently governed by the 2006 EU Data Retention Directive (DRD).

The European Court of Human Rights has been in a constant state of reform since the permanent Court was established in Strasbourg in 1998. Its creation was a response to an increasing workload, a situation which has continued and worsened over the following 14 years.

European Transparency Register

Briefing 30-05-2012

Efforts to ensure proper transparency in EU policy-making are a relatively recent phenomenon. Although the European Parliament (EP) has had a register of lobbyists for more than 15 years, registrants did not need to provide detailed information on themselves and their clients. An EP report on the Commission's proposed voluntary register in 2008 called for a more comprehensive approach: a common, mandatory register of all three institutions - Commission, Council and Parliament. Following extended ...