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From 1 January 2021, EU law will no longer apply to the part of the Channel Tunnel under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. During the October I plenary session, Parliament is expected to vote on two proposals to maintain safe and efficient railway operations within the Channel Tunnel from that date. They aim to keep a single safety authority for the whole tunnel applying EU rules and to empower France to negotiate a new agreement with the United Kingdom to that end.

Often labelled as one of today's main disruptive technologies, drones have indeed earned this label by prompting a fundamental rethinking of business models, existing laws, safety and security standards, the future of transport, and modern warfare. The European Union (EU) recognises the opportunities that drones offer and sees them as opening a new chapter in the history of aerospace. The EU aviation strategy provides guidance for exploring new and emerging technologies, and encourages the integration ...

The scope of this study is to assess the costs and benefits of retrofitting smart tachographs in heavy-duty vehicles operating in international transport by January 2020. Specifically, it addresses economic consequences of a technological upgrade of these vehicles. Moreover, it considers the related economic impacts incurred on national enforcement authorities. It also assesses the costs, which Member States’ national enforcement bodies risk to incur, among others, due to retrieving and processing ...

The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Second-hand cars traded across the EU have their odometer readings manipulated more frequently than those traded on national markets. Odometer fraud is difficult to track and leaves no trace. This incurs costs and creates challenges on the EU internal market. It can also impact EU road safety. Against this background, this European added value assessment identifies weaknesses in the existing EU legal system. Moreover, it outlines potential policy measures that could be taken at the EU level, and ...

Odometer tampering is still a widespread malpractice in the European Union and it affects almost all second-hand car markets of its Member States. This study examines how improvement can be made by presenting the best practices implemented in some Member States and countries outside of the EU, while emphasising their success factors and results achieved. Furthermore, the study highlights the available technological developments and IT solutions to combat the phenomenon with a view to a potential ...

On 26 September 2017, the European Commission published a notice laying out guidelines on the application of EU food and consumer protection law to issues of dual quality of food products. This legally non-binding notice follows tests in seven 'new' EU Member States that compared the composition and sensory qualities of branded products sold in those countries with some of the 'old' Member States. The tests showed that some of the products included less of the main ingredient, included ingredients ...

Recent tests on branded food in three 'new' EU Member States have shown that the taste and composition of these products, sold under the same name and in the same packaging, sometimes differ from the 'same' products sold in neighbouring 'old' Member States. While the ingredients were generally properly labelled and the products were considered safe for consumption, some of those in 'new' Member States were considered to be of inferior quality and less healthy, and were also more expensive. Similar ...

The internal market for goods is one of the EU’s greatest achievements at European level, as well as one of its most important and continuing priorities. Despite its undeniable success, the single market has yet to reach its full potential, and barriers to free exchange of goods continue to limit opportunities for businesses and citizens. Since 2009, Regulation EC 764/2008, also known as the Mutual Recognition Regulation, has strengthened the free trade of goods within the EU. This regulation requires ...

Transatlantic regulatory patterns overall and in four key sectors: food, automobiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals indicate that the EU risk regulation is not always or generally more stringent or precautionary than the US regulation. In fact, the reality is a complex mix of parity and particularity. While there is overall EU-US similarity, there is also variation. In some risk matters, and across and within sectors, there is more precaution in Europe, whereas in others it may be in the US. Even ...