European Union News - Internal Market

The European Commission proposed new rules to improve the safety of consumer products circulating in the Single Market and to step-up market surveillance concerning all non-food products, including those imported from third countries. The two legislative proposals are complemented by a multi-annual plan for market surveillance setting out 20 concrete actions to be undertaken from now to 2015 to improve market surveillance.

The Council agreed with the European Commission that improving confidence, reviving economic growth, ensuring debt sustainability and improving competitiveness, whilst creating the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs in the longer term, are of particular importance at the current juncture.

The China IPR Helpdesk, the EU SME Centre and the European Enterprise Network are established in China to help by bringing the risks – and rewards – of the Chinese market into focus. In particular, the EU SME Centre is a support service provider for European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facilitating market access in China, says the European Commission.

According to European Commission's report, risks from substances registered under REACH have significantly decreased. Companies have now registered 30,601 files with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) describing the uses and properties of 7,884 chemical substances manufactured or placed on the market.

In its response to the European Commission’s consultation on the regulation of indices, the Eurosystem has called for the regulation of systemically important reference rates. Now, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank welcomed the European Commission’s intention to introduce further legislation to regulate such important reference rates.

European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, presented recent Commission projects on educating the educators at the fourth meeting of EU SME envoys. The Commission underlined that entrepreneurship education needs to be boosted.

The European Parliament approved three resolutions in relation to the European Commission’s Annual Growth Survey of the EU. According to MEPs, much more must be done this year to cut unemployment, thoroughly democratise EU economic governance and ensure that structural reforms foster growth.

The European Commission made a proposal to strengthen the protection of the euro and other currencies against counterfeiting through criminal law measures. In particular, the proposed Directive includes the strengthening cross-border investigations and introducing minimum penalties, including imprisonment, for the most serious counterfeiting offences.

The European Commission published a report that include recommendations such as to apply a limit on the number of players per club, a review of the issue of 'third-party ownership', where a player is effectively leased to a club by an agent, and an end to contractual practices which inflate transfer fees, such as where a club extends the protected period during which players cannot be transferred without its consent.

The European Union will support with almost €4 million from the TEN-T Programme a project to support and accelerate Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) and Airspace Management (ASM) with a view of optimising resources at European airports and progressing towards an efficient and flexible use of airspace.

The European Research Council (ERC) published the outcome of the latest round of its top-up funding scheme 'Proof of Concept'. A total of 60 grants, worth €150,000 each, have now been awarded to researchers who are already ERC grantees in order to bridge the gap between their work and marketable innovation.

A resolution approved in plenary session by MEPs calls for new rules to ease borrowing and cash flow. MEPs stressed that small firms need bank loans tailored to their needs, alternative forms of venture capital, clearer rules on cooperation with lenders, and prompter payments from other firms.