The EU emissions trading system (ETS) after 2020 foresees the establishment of the Innovation Fund to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies. 400 million allowances will be reserved from 2021 onwards for this purpose. In addition, a further 50 million of unallocated allowances from 2013-2020 will be added, together with, as early as 2019, any possible un-used or remaining funds from the NER 300 Programme.
The Fund will support innovation in low-carbon technologies, processes and products in industrial sectors and should stimulate the construction and operation of projects that aim at the environmentally safe capture, use of CO2 (CCU) and its geological storage (CCS), as well as innovative renewable energy and energy storage technologies in the territory of the European Union. Technologies receiving support should not be commercially available yet, but shall be sufficiently mature to be ready for demonstration at pre-commercial scale.
This public consultation will gather the views of the wider public on additional, more detailed, design elements of the Innovation Fund, as an input to the Impact Assessment accompanying the Commission’s proposal for a delegated act.
The European Commission is consulting on the EU rules for products used in the construction of buildings and infrastructure works.
The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) aims to make the single market work for products used in the construction of buildings and infrastructure. However, a number of sources have identified issues affecting the functioning of the CPR (such as the need for clarification regarding simplification provisions, limited evidence of uptake of simplification provisions/lighter regimes by micro enterprises, the link with Regulation 1025/2012 on standardisation and mandatory use of standards in the CPR, and more).
This public consultation aims to give all interested citizens and stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the exercise and give their views on key issues relevant for the evaluation and impact assessment. In providing this opportunity, this consultation supplements previous, more targeted consultations of stakeholders. The consultation will inform the Commission’s evaluation and impact assessment report and the legislative proposal accompanying the report, if the outcome of the evaluation points towards the need to change the EU rules on construction products.
In 2018, the Commission will make comprehensive proposals for the next generation of financial programmes for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, which is the EU’s long-term budget. The Commission’s proposals will be designed to make it possible for the EU to deliver on the things that matter most, in areas where it can achieve more than the Member States acting alone. This requires a careful assessment both of what has worked well in the past and what could be improved in the future. This consultation is an integral part of the process and its objective is to collect the views of all interested parties on how to make the most of every euro of the EU budget.
The General Food Law Regulation (EU rules on food and feed safety along the production chain) is the cornerstone of the EU regulatory framework covering the entire food chain: ‘from farm to fork’.
The law requires food and feed law to be science-based. This is known as the risk analysis principle, which consists of three separate but interrelated components: risk assessment (scientific advice), risk management (measures taken on the basis of scientific advice, other legitimate factors and where appropriate the precautionary principle) and risk communication (interactive exchange of information on risks throughout the risk analysis process).
For this purpose, the General Food Law Regulation established the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as an independent scientific agency to provide the scientific opinions (risk assessment) which form the basis for the measures taken by the EU in the food chain.
Since the adoption of the General Food Law Regulation in 2002, the political, economic and societal context has evolved, affecting consumers’ perception and expectations in relation to the food chain.
Whilst EFSA’s work in the area of risk assessment has not been subject to significant criticism, citizens have put into question the risk assessment based on studies provided by the industry and this in particular where the industry seeks an authorisation, e.g. for pesticides, GMOs etc.
The Commission is keen to hear about views and experiences on the following:
the transparency and independence of the EU risk assessment system with respect to the underlying industry studies and information on which EFSA’s risk assessment/scientific advice is based;
risk communication; and,
the governance of EFSA, in particular, the involvement of the EU Member States (MS) in the EU risk assessment system.
The Commission has launched two more consultations on food safety: :
reduction of sugar in the food
EFSA is seeking feedback on the approach it plans to take for its upcoming assessment of dietary sugars. The aim of the assessment is to establish a cut-off value for intake of “free” sugars that is not associated with adverse health effects
nanomaterials and food safety
EFSA has opened a public consultation on its draft guidance for the risk assessment of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications in the food and feed chain. The guidance covers the relevant areas within EFSA’s remit, such as novel foods, food contact materials, food and feed additives, and pesticides.
Deadline for both consultations is 4th March 2018.
The European Commission is consulting on the structure and content of the Framework Programme which will succeed Horizon 2020, through which funding for research and innovation up to 2030 will be allocated. EuChemS is preparing a response with a position paper to the consultation.
Vaccine-preventable diseases are major health scourges. Due to their cross-border nature and the challenges to national vaccination programmes, there is a need for common EU action and more coordinated approaches to limit the spread of epidemics and cross-border diseases. There is clear added-value to strengthen cooperation among all relevant actors at EU level, including health authorities, the vaccine industry, research and innovation, healthcare sector and others. In mid-2018, the European Commission will adopt a proposal for a Council Recommendation on Strengthened Cooperation against Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. The objective of this public consultation is to collect the views and input of citizens, administrations, associations and other relevant organizations to feed into the process of drafting a proposal for the Council Recommendation. Deadline: 15 March 2018 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
In 2018, the Commission will make comprehensive proposals for the next generation of financial programmes for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which is the EU’s long–term budget. The Commission’s proposals will be designed to make it possible for the EU to deliver on the things that matter most, in areas where it can achieve more than Member States acting alone. This requires a careful assessment both of what has worked well in the past and what could be improved in the future. Deadline: 8 March 2018 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is seeking feedback on the approach it plans to take for its upcoming assessment of dietary sugars. The aim of the assessment is to establish a cut-off value for intake of “free” sugars that are not associated with adverse health effects. EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) has drafted a protocol to define the methods for 1) collecting data (i.e. which data to use for the assessment and how to identify and select them); 2) appraising the relevant evidence; and 3) analysing and integrating the evidence to draw conclusions that will form the basis of the scientific opinion.
Deadline: 4 March 2018 Website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
This consultation is part of the evaluation launched by the European Commission in 2016 of the Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change. The evaluation examines the implementation and achievements of the Strategy compared to what was expected at the time the Strategy was adopted in 2013. It also looks at the evolution of the needs to which the Strategy responds, for example in light of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which treats adaptation to climate change on equal footing with greenhouse gas emission reduction. The evaluation follows the standard framework for the evaluation of EU policies and examines the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, and EU added value. Deadline: 1 March 2018 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The objective of this consultation is to provide input, opinions, and data for preparation of follow-up to the Plastics Strategy in relation to marine litter, particularly from single-use plastics and fishing gear.
The upcoming Strategy on Plastics in a circular economy will lay down the foundations of a new plastics economy, where reuse and recycling are fully integrated into production chains, where plastic pollution and its adverse impact on citizens’ lives and the environment are tackled. The Strategy will acknowledge the urgent need for concrete actions to reduce plastic leakage into the environment, in particular in our seas and oceans. Deadline: 12 February 2018 Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
The European Commission is carrying out an Impact Assessment on a possible EU-based initiative to limit intakes of industrial trans fats in the diet of EU consumers, such as to limit industrial trans fats content in food through self-regulation or through a legally-binding measure, to introduce mandatory labelling of the trans fats content of foods on food labels or to prohibit the use of partly hydrogenated oils, which are the main source of industrial trans fats, in foods manufacturing/preparation through self-regulation or through a legally-binding measure. The present public consultation integrates the targeted consultations with interested stakeholders and national competent authorities already carried out by the Commission and an external contractor which supports the Commission’s work on trans fats. This public consultation is aimed at giving an additional possibility to all stakeholders and individual citizens with a possible interest in trans fats to provide their views on key elements of the Impact Assessment. Deadline: 9 February 2019
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
The consultation seeks views on possible actions to address the risks from pharmaceuticals in the environment and to obtain views and information to support the development of the Commission’s strategic approach to pharmaceuticals in the environment. At EU level, the issue of pharmaceuticals in the environment is only partially addressed in legislation and policy. Practices are further influenced by many other factors, which could be acted upon to leverage more sustainable and prudent management and use of pharmaceuticals, in line with the circular economy.
The aim of the public consultation is to gather the views and concerns of all interested citizens, authorities and organisation regarding the EU restrictions and controls limiting the availability of and access to substances which can be used for making home-made explosives. Your input will help the Commission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the EU policy framework in this area, enhancing protection of EU citizens and security in the EU. Deadline: 14 February 2018 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The EU Regulation on medicines for rare diseases (‘orphan medicines’) and the Paediatric Medicines Regulation especially for children are intertwined and partly complementary as they both intend to redirect investment in previously neglected therapeutic areas through a scheme of incentives, rewards and obligations. The scope of this evaluation will be focused on the output and results of the two regulations: in what respect have patients’ needs been fulfilled, what have been the societal consequences and what has been the synergy between the two. It will also focus on the cost-effectiveness when providing the incentives and rewards incorporated in the legislation and how they have been used in practice; it will make a cost-benefit analysis, both from a general point of view and per group (patients, industry, payers etc). Deadline: 8 January 2018 Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Food contact materials (FCMs) are all materials that come into contact with food including packaging as well as every-day items such as kitchen and tableware and those used in professional food manufacturing, preparation, storage and distribution. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (the FCM Regulation) provides that these materials shall not transfer their components into food in quantities that could endanger human health or change the composition, or organoleptic properties of the food. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess whether the current EU legislative framework for FCMs is fit for purpose and delivers as expected. deadline: 26 December 2017 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will assess all comments from interested parties regarding the active substance Pyrimethanil. Input is requested on the following: physical/chemical properties; details of uses and further information; methods of analysis; mammalian toxicology; residues; and environmental fate and behaviour. Deadline: 8 January 2018
Website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
This survey is part of an evaluation of the EU legislation on plant protection products and pesticide residues. The scope of this survey includes the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides, and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, concerning the placing of plant protection products (PPPs) on the market. This survey seeks to collect information on how well the rules governing the approval of active substances, authorisation of plant protection products, and the setting of MRLs of pesticides in the EU work in practice. The questions explore in detail the impact of these provisions on businesses, the environment, and consumers in the EU. The survey aims at identifying strengths and weaknesses of the PPP and MRL Regulations, and gathers information on how the situation has changed after the entry into force of the Regulations. The results of the survey will feed into the evaluation performed independently on behalf of DG SANTE. Deadline (for stakeholders): 31 December 2017 Website (for stakeholders): https://s.chkmkt.com/ Deadline (for citizens): 12 February 2018 Website (for citizens): https://ec.europa.eu/
Drug precursors are chemicals which may be used for the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 lays down measures for monitoring trade in drug precursors within the EU, while Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 governs trade in drug precursors between the EU and third countries. Both Regulations jointly implement the obligations stemming from Article 12 of the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 (the 1988 UN Convention) in the EU. By its decisions 60/12 and 60/13, taken at its sixtieth session on 16 March 2017, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations decided to include, respectively, 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (ANPP) and N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (NPP) in Table I of the 1988 UN Convention. The Commission is asking for feedback on the Draft delegated regulation on the scheduling of these substances in the EU Drug Precursor legislation. Deadline: 13 December 2017 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
This Regulation sets out the methodological principles for the scientific risk assessment and risk management recommendations referred to in Articles 6 and 7 of Regulation (EC) No 470/2009 that shall be applied by the European Medicines Agency when preparing opinions on the maximum residue limits of pharmacologically active substances which may be permitted in food of animal origin. Deadline: 13 December 2017 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) and submit a report based on this evaluation to the European Parliament and to the Council. The focus of the evaluation will be on the structure and strategic role played by the 7th EAP: that is its multi-layered approach, dual focus and the joint responsibility to deliver. Essentially it will ask if this agreed framework is really helping us to deliver the nine priority objectives in a smart way. Evaluating the structure will require a basic assessment of the link between the structure and the actions undertaken under the 7th EAP and the progress towards achieving the 7th EAP’s different sub-objectives. In doing so, the evaluation will consider the impact of relevant actions taken at Union and Member State level given their shared responsibility for the 7th EAP.
Deadline: 6 December 2017
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
Commission Regulation (EC) No 847/20002 provides a definition of the concept “similar medicinal product”, which includes specific cases defining what kind of products are to be regarded as similar for the purposes of the application of Regulation (EC) No 141/2000. That definition should be updated in the light of new scientific and technical knowledge, in particular, due to major developments in the field of biological medicines, and especially advanced therapy medicinal products, and in the light of experience gained with regard to the designation and regulation of orphan medicinal products. In addition, there is a need for a clear definition of the concept ‘principal molecular structural features’, which is used within the definition of the concept ‘similar active substance’, which is in turn used within the definition of the concept ‘similar medicinal products’.
Deadline: 27 November 2017 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will assess all comments from interested parties regarding the active substance Milbemectin. Input is requested on the following: physical/chemical properties; details of uses and further information; methods of analysis; mammalian toxicology; residues; and environmental fate and behaviour. Deadline: 11 December 2017
Website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/consultations/call/171011
The Commission is requesting feedback on amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards Annexes I, III,VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII to address nanoforms of substances.
Deadline: 7 November 2017 Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
The main objective of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) 91/271/EEC is to protect the environment from the adverse effects of waste water discharges from urban areas and certain industrial sectors by setting requirements for the collection and treatment of urban waste water. The evaluation will assess five criteria: effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, relevance, and EU added value by analysing the Directive’s requirements and implementation in the last 25 years in the entire EU5. The findings of the evaluation will feed into the Commission’s reflection on possible further action.
Deadline: 9 November 2017
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
