On 25 August 2021 the EU Commission published guidance on the transitional rules of origin in the pan-Euro-Mediterranean area. The EU is currently amending 21 origin protocols within the pan-Euro-Mediterranean area by implementing an alternative set of rules of origin which will apply alongside the rules of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin.
The Recast Dual-Use Regulation published as Regulation 2021/821 entered into force on 9 September 2021. EU producers of dual-use goods now face new export control rules, which we have analyzed in further detail in a recent post. For more detail on the Regulation, please contact Alex Phillips to receive our full client alert and analysis.
In December 2019, the European Commission launched the Green Deal, a comprehensive sustainability strategy with specific measures to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), commercial aviation is responsible for 2-3% of the global carbon emissions. In terms of the European Union, aviation accounts for 3% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the steady increase in emissions in the aviation sector since 1990, action in this area to address climate change is essential.
Belarus-related sanctions restrictions were recently introduced by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and Ukraine. The objective of newly introduced sanctions is to mount international pressure against the current oppressive regime in Belarus by preventing international companies from doing business in selected economic sectors of this country.
This edition takes a bite-size look at the different rates of progress of environmental, social and governance (ESG) regulation and voluntary standards across the European Union, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
On 1 July 2021, the majority of the provisions in the UK’s Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information Regulations 2021 came into force ensuring the UK’s Ecodesign regime remains aligned to the EU’s regime post-Brexit. It introduces tighter rules for how much energy white goods, such as washing machines, can use and sets out new ‘right to repair’ rules which impose a legal obligation on manufacturers to make spare parts and repair and maintenance information for particular appliances available in order to facilitate repairs. Manufacturers will have to incorporate ‘reparability’ into their designs and processes to ensure compliance with the new rules.
On 13 July 2021, the EU Council of Ministers approved the national recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) of 12 Member States. These Member States are now able to tap into the EU recovery and resilience funding. This will allow them to start spending the money on projects and reforms for national economic recovery and resilience, as well as the green transition and digital transformation.
The European Commission, on 30 June 2021, proposed reforms to the General Product Safety Directive in the form of a Regulation, intended to safeguard consumers. The Proposal makes substantial amendments to the GPSD, which has been in place for the last 20 years, seeks to increase the protection offered to EU consumers in respect of products they purchase, both in store and online, whilst also addressing challenges posed by today’s modern world, which has been reshaped by digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 21 June 2021, the UK and EU both announced further sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to Myanmar’s military regime.
The EU announced that it was imposing sanctions against an additional 8 individuals, 3 economic entities (Myanmar Gems Enterprise; Myanmar Timber Enterprise; and Forest Products Joint Venture Corporation Limited) and the War Veterans Organisation.
On 15 June 2021, after an initial consensus from health ministers in Luxembourg, the European Parliament’s health committee approved an extension of the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) mandate.