The European Parliament approved a number of new or revised laws during its last session of this mandate. We have selected eight of them for you, which may be key for you and your company. The new rules will affect, for example, packaging, consumers’ right to repair or renovate buildings. New rules on supply chain responsibility and the ban on goods produced using forced labour will be crucial for companies. In the future, it should also be easier to produce innovative technologies, including nuclear ones, in Europe. Another novelty is the voluntary certification framework for carbon removal.
Last week was the last meeting of the European Parliament in its current mandate. European elections are due to take place in late June, marking the start of a new five-year term. In practice, this means that European lawmakers are trying to complete as many of the proposed initiatives as possible. The last plenary session can be described as a legislative whirlwind, without much exaggeration. Which of the approved laws are crucial and what can they mean for businesses?
Ban on products derived from forced labour on the EU market
The European Parliament has approved a regulation banning gambling data china the sale, import and export of goods produced using forced labour on the EU market . Manufacturers of banned goods will have to withdraw their products from the European market and either donate, recycle or destroy them. Companies that fail to comply will face fines.
Due Diligence Directive
The Due Diligence Directive (DDD) was one of the controversial and the dominance of video content long-awaited legal amendments. It primarily introduces an obligation for companies to monitor their own supply chain and makes companies liable for potential damage. Companies that do not comply with the rules risk sanctions. The adoption of the directive was delayed, in February the member states swept the already agreed compromise off the table, but in March there was a turnaround and the European Council approved the directive in a milder version. The final step was the adoption of the text by the European Parliament.
States now have two years to implement the new rules. The directive should come into force:
Text adopted by the European Parliament.
We wrote more about CSDDD, for example here and here .
Regulation on packaging and packaging waste
The European Parliament also adopted rules to reduce the amount of packaging waste , make it easier to reuse and recycle. The regulation includes, among other things, changes to the definitions of existing terms and the introduction of new ones, limiting the free space in packaging to a maximum of 50% to save material, and extending the obligation to use recycled content to more types of plastic packaging.
In addition, the regulation introduces a number of targets, such as binding targets for reusable packaging, for a 15% reduction in packaging waste for member states by 2040 compared to 2018, the recyclability of packaging based on recyclability levels (A, B, C) and design for recycling, which directly affects the recyclability of the product. The regulation also includes requirements for deposit systems and obligations for member states that do not want to introduce these systems.
This is a revision of the legislation already in force, which was thailand data previously a directive. This left member states more room for their own implementation of the law.Member States will then have 18 months to implement them.