Publications Archive

The analysed Proposal for a Directive is part of the Pharmaceutical Package to improve the safety of medicinal products. The Proposal focuses on the protection of distribution chains from manufacturers to pharmacies against the entry of falsified medicinal products. During debates held previous to the Proposal the Commission opted for maintaining parallel import trade. To this end, the measures proposed now are restricted to prescription medicines, which constitute the majority of medicinal products traded through parallel import.

Regarding mass claim cases the Commission wants to open up the possibilities of collective redress for damages claims or develop existing possibilities. To this end, in its Green Paper it presents different options to address the issue which have an effect on cross-border cases as well as purely national ones. It further considers to introduce standardised judicial procedures for collective redress.

The Proposal for a Directive aims at improved protection against discrimination on grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation is to be extended in order to cover areas that go beyond employment and occupation. The Proposal does not affect religious organisations. Furthermore, the Proposal contains several special rules regarding unequal treatment on grounds of age or disability.

With its Proposal for a Directive the EU Commission mainly wishes to improve the social protection of self-employed women and their spouses/life partners engaged in their businesses. Accordingly, spouses assisting self-employed women are to have the same access to social security schemes as self-employed persons and self-employed women are to be provided with maternity protection. Moreover, access to self-employment must be practicable irrespective of gender or family status.

The Commission intends to screen the performance of certain product and service markets by way of a "Consumer Markets Scoreboard". The Commission assumes that citizens expect markets to deliver best possible outcomes in the interest of consumers which, at the same time, should be socially acceptable. Where, according to the Consumer Markets Scoreboard, "market malfunctions" are detected regulations or measures in the field of competition law or consumer policy are to be introduced. Alongside its Communication the Commission presented a first Consumer Markets Scoreboard containing the results of various consumer surveys and price research, yet without drawing any concrete conclusions.

The Commission announces measures to advance the completion of the internal energy market. For instance, it wishes to implement the Third Energy Package also through infringement proceedings. Moreover, it wishes to prevent Member States from applying capacity mechanisms as this would distort competition in the internal energy market.

Road traffic generates costs that can be split into those directly borne by road users and those imposed on others and the public (so-called external costs, e.g. air pollution, noise pollution, loss of time due to congestion). According to a Commission’s Proposal Member States are to be authorised to include the external costs of road freight transport into road tolls levied on HGV (so-called internalisation). The European Parliament and the Council have not yet reached any agreement on said Proposal. To this end, the Council asked the Commission to have an analysis drawn up exploring the impacts of a possible internalisation.

The proposed Regulation is to replace the existing Directive on the security of gas supply. The Proposal contains obligations of the Member States with respect to their infrastructure and the establishment of emergency plans. In times of crisis the Commission is to coordinate the gas supply.

The amendment of the Prospectus Directive is part of a simplification programme by the Commission to cut administrative burdens. Against this background, the Commission wants to make it easier to issue securities in the EU. Also, it aims at increasing legal certainty and lowering costs.

The Commission formulates proposals for "modernising" national welfare systems. It calls, in particular, for an increase in "social investment".