NO 01/20 – March 2020

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Contents COVID-19 Crisis ...... 4 Maintaining the free circulation of goods within the EU Internal Market ...... 4 Closing the external Schengen borders ...... 5 Macroeconomic Measures ...... 5 European Central Bank ...... 7 Accounting ...... 7 INTERNAL MARKET ...... 8 Digitalisation ...... 8 Artificial Intelligence ...... 8 Cybersecurity...... 9 5G Technologies and infrastructure ...... 10 Data Policies ...... 10 E-Privacy Directive...... 10 Machinery Directive (MD) ...... 11 Outdoor Noise Directive (OND) ...... 11 ATEX Directive ...... 12 Low Voltage Directive (LVD) ...... 12 Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (EMCD) ...... 13 Radio Equipment Directive (RED) ...... 13 New Legislative Framework (NLF) ...... 14 Regulation on market surveillance and compliance ...... 15 Standardisation Policy ...... 16 Industrial Policy ...... 16 Digitalisation ...... 19 Electromagnetic Fields...... 23 Intellectual Property Rights ...... 24 European Consumer Policy ...... 24 Services Package ...... 25 Product Liability Directive ...... 25 MARKET ACCESS ...... 26 Dual-use items ...... 26 Brexit ...... 27 Generalised Scheme of Preferences ...... 28 World Trade Organisation (WTO) ...... 29 Trade Defence Instruments ...... 29 EU – Japan ...... 32

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

EU – Vietnam ...... 32 EU – China ...... 32 Free Trade Agreements – overview ...... 33 ENVIRONMENT ...... 36 REACH ...... 36 RoHS2 Directive ...... 38 WEEE2 Directive ...... 38 Circular Economy Policy ...... 39 Waste Framework Directive ...... 40 SCIP Database (previously ECHA Waste Database) ...... 40 Eco-Management and Audit Scheme ...... 41 Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) ...... 41 Battery Policies ...... 42 EU Ecolabel ...... 43 Green Public Procurement ...... 44 Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) ...... 45 ENERGY ...... 46 Energy Efficiency ...... 46 Energy Labelling Regulation ...... 46 Ecodesign Directive ...... 46 Ecodesign Directive - Update on Lots / implementing measures ...... 47 Energy Taxation Directive ...... 48 DECARBONISATION & CLIMATE CHANGE ...... 50 Sustainable finance ...... 50 F-gases ...... 51 PUBLICATIONS & EVENTS ...... 52 PUBLICATIONS ...... 52 EVENTS ...... 54

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

COVID-19 Crisis The European Union has developed a series of actions to fight and overcome the sudden sanitary, economic and social crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These were presented on Friday 13 March by the European Commission in a Communication on a Coordinated economic response to the COVID-19 Outbreak, outlining a series of measures to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, using all the instruments at its disposal, in order: • To ensure the necessary supplies to the EU’s health systems by preserving the integrity of the Single Market and of production and distribution of value chains; • To support people so that income and jobs are not affected disproportionately and to avoid permanent effects of this crisis; • To support firms and ensure that the liquidities of the EU’s financial sector can continue to support the economy and • To allow Member States to act in a coordinated way, through using the full flexibility of the EU’s State Aid and Stability and Growth Pact Frameworks.

Maintaining the free circulation of goods within the EU Internal Market

On 16 March, the European Commission published a set of Guidelines aiming at guaranteeing the continuous flow of goods and services throughout the Internal Market. The main objective is to prevent “Member States from undertaking measures that jeopardise the integrity of the Single Market for goods, in particular of supply chains, or engage in any unfair practices”. On the other hand, Member States are allowed to considerably limit the free circulation of people, while facilitating that of transport professionals. These measures concern in particular: • The transport of goods and services, particularly but not only those related to food and health (installation of “Green Lanes”) • The supply of goods, which should not be submitted to any limitation beyond those in place under normal circumstances, • Health • External borders (see below) • Internal borders, with a framework to restrict the free circulation of persons while maintaining the non-discrimination principle and guaranteeing the person’s health (avoidance of queues)

These Guidelines were completed on 23 March by new practical advice on how to implement them, particularly to keep freight moving across the EU. In a

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Communication, the Commission finetunes the rules applicable to the “Green Lanes” and requires from Member States: • To cooperate to ensure that all freight, and not only essential goods such as food and medical supplies, gets quickly to its destination without any delays. • To designate immediately all the relevant internal border-crossing points of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) and possibly additional ones as Green Lane border crossing - for land (road and rail), sea and air transport. A map of the TEN-T is part of the Annex to the Communication. The objective is that any checks at the internal EU land borders should not exceed 15 minutes for all freight vehicles carrying any type of goods. • To act immediately to temporarily suspend all types of road access restrictions in place in their territory (week-end bans, night bans, sectoral bans, etc.) for road freight transport and for the necessary free movement of transport workers. • To allow all transport workers, irrespective of their nationality and place of residence, to cross internal borders. Restrictions such as travel restrictions and quarantine of transport workers, should be waived, (without prejudice for competent authorities to take proportionate and specifically adapted measures to minimise the risk of contagion).

Closing the external Schengen borders

On Tuesday 16, the Commission presented in a Communication a recommendation to the European Council to adopt a coordinated decision to apply a temporary restriction (30 days) of non-essential travel from third countries into the EU. This recommendation was approved by the European Council on 17 March, to be enforced only by Member States under national law.

Macroeconomic Measures

State Aid On 19 March, the Commission adopted a Temporary Framework to help Member States support the economy in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, as foreseen by article 107(3)(b) TFEU to remedy a serious disturbance across the EU economy. The Temporary Framework aims to enable Member States to : (i) set up schemes for direct grants (or tax advantages) up to €500,000 to a company that has experienced difficulties after 31 December 2019, (ii) give subsidised State guarantees on bank loans, (iii) enable public and private loans with subsidised interest rates and

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

(iv) ensure that aid channelled via the banks is not considered as direct aid to the banks but to the banks’ customers, giving guidance on how to minimise any undue residual aid to the banks in line with EU rules.

Stability and Growth Pact On 20 March, the European Commission proposed in a Communication that the Council decides upon the activation of the Stability and Growth Pact specific articles allowing Member States to undertake budgetary measures “in periods of severe economic downturn for the euro area or the Union as a whole”. In such circumstances, Member States may be allowed temporarily to depart from the adjustment path towards the medium-term budgetary objective, provided that this does not endanger fiscal sustainability in the medium term”. As stated in the Communication, “the general escape clause does not suspend the procedures of the Stability and Growth Pact. It will allow the Commission and the Council to undertake the necessary policy coordination measures within the framework of the Pact, while departing from the budgetary requirements that would normally apply”.

The ECOFIN Council endorsed the Commission views on 23 March. Over the most recent time, the Commission approved specific state aid measures undertaken by Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Latvian, Luxemburg and Portugal to support their economy.

Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative The Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (see here summary by the European Parliament’s services) coordinates all possible means available within the existing EU budget to support EU countries and consists of three main elements: • €37 billion of European public investment: this money will be gathered from the Commission not asking Member States to reimburse €8 billion unspent pre- financing for the European Structural and Investment Funds for 2019. To this will be added co-financing from the EU budget of some €29 billion, without requiring any money from the national budgets • Maximum flexibility in applying EU spending rules: the Commission proposes to make Coronavirus related expenditure eligible under the structural funds. This will allow healthcare costs to be eligible for reimbursement. Member States

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

will be able to: a) use money from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund to invest in their healthcare systems: purchase of health and protective equipment, disease prevention, e-health, medical devices (including respirators, masks and similar), securing of the working environment in the health care sector and ensuring access to health care for the vulnerable groups ; b) use the European Regional Development Fund to help companies tackle short-term financial shocks linked to the Coronavirus crisis. This could for example include working capital in SMEs, with special attention to the sectors which are hit particularly hard by the crisis; c) Use the European Social Fund to temporarily support national short time working schemes • Access to the EU Solidarity Fund: the Commission proposes to include public health crises in the emergencies that the EU Solidarity Fund finances. The Commission package is expected to be adopted both by the European Parliament and the Council using both institutions’ fast track procedure.

European Central Bank

The European Central Bank announced on 18 March a new “temporary asset purchase programme of private and public sector securities” or Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) of up to €750 billion which will last at least until the end of the year.

Accounting

• The European Market and Securities Authority issued a public statement on accounting implications of the COVID-19 outbreak on the calculation of expected credit losses in accordance with IFRS 9 • The European Banking Authority issued several documents (see press release) to provides clarity to banks and consumers on the application of the prudential framework

Author :

Pierre Lucas

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

INTERNAL MARKET

Digitalisation

Artificial Intelligence

The European Parliament is devoting considerable attention to AI, as described below. Six own-initiative reports are currently under preparation on • Intellectual property rights for the development of artificial intelligence technologies (Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee) • Artificial intelligence in education, culture and the audio-visual sector (Culture and education (CULT) Committee) • Civil liability regime for artificial intelligence (Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee)

• Framework of ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies (Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee) • Artificial intelligence: questions of State authority and of interpretation and application of international law in so far as the EU is affected in the areas of civil and military uses (Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee) • AI in criminal law and its use by the police and judicial authorities in criminal matters (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee) A Resolution prepared by its Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) on “Automated decision-making process: ensuring consumer protection and free movement of goods and services” was adopted on 12 February. It essentially insists on the need to protect consumers from any negative aspects of AI and to empower them to identify AI processes. For this purpose, the Resolution invites the Commission to either closely monitor the implementation of legislation at national level or to review it in a large range of areas such as consumer law, safety and liability for products, and the regulatory framework for services. The list drawn in the Resolution includes, amongst other, the Machinery, the Radio Equipment, the Low

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Voltage, the General Product Safety and the Product Liability Directives. It does not call upon any EU measure to encourage or facilitate the deployment of AI by European Finally, the Industry, Research and Energy Committee has commissioned a consultant to prepare a study on the emergence of AI as a general-purpose technology and better understand the associated opportunities and challenges for the EU in terms of industrial policy, competitiveness and innovation.

Cybersecurity

On 10 February, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has published an EU Cybersecurity Institutional Map describing the roles, responsibilities and tasks of EU Institutions and EU Groups in Cybersecurity. The user can navigate any of the three available dimensions a) Actors - EU Institutions, Agencies and Bodies with a role in cybersecurity at EU level, b) Communities - groups of actors with a role in Cyber Resilience, Justice in Cyberspace and Cybercrime, Cyber Defence and Cyber Diplomacy and c) Functions - specific activities or strategic objectives where actors can have a role. The Agency will maintain this map on its website and periodically update the content ENISA also published recommendations for European standardisation in relation to the Cybersecurity Act, and an analysis of standards in areas relevant to the potential EU candidate cybersecurity certification schemes with two report The Report - Standardisation in support of the Cybersecurity Certification presents the value of the cybersecurity standardisation efforts for certification, the roles and responsibilities of Standards Developing Organisations (SDOs) in this context, and discusses various ways how standardisation can support efficiently the process of creating certification schemes by following a step by step methodology. The Report - Standards Supporting Certification explores five distinct areas, in which frameworks, schemes or standards currently exist that could potentially be evolved to EU candidate cybersecurity certification schemes. These five areas are the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud infrastructure and services, threat intelligence in the financial sector, electronic health records in the healthcare and qualified trust services. The study reflects on the standards currently available in these five areas of interest and identifies existing gaps. It further proposes recommendations on how these gaps can be addressed, especially by standardisation bodies, and how the available standards could potentially be adapted to form the basis of future candidate EU cybersecurity certification schemes.

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

5G Technologies and infrastructure

On 29 January, the European Commission issued a Communication on “Secure 5G deployment in the EU - Implementing the EU toolbox”. With this Communication, the Commission endorses the toolbox prepared by the NIS Cooperation Group, a Group established in the Directive on security of network and information systems - NIS - and composed of representatives from the Member States, the Commission and the European Cybersecurity Agency ENISA. The Group is tasked with providing strategic cooperation and exchange of information on cybersecurity between the Member States. The Group has developed an EU toolbox describing a set of nine strategic (notably in terms of supply chain) and technical (networks and suppliers’ processes and equipment) cybersecurity risks linked with the deployment of 5G, and specific actions to mitigate them. The Communication also supports a set of key measures proposed by the Group to implement the toolbox, in particular strengthening security requirements for mobile network operators, applying restrictions for suppliers considered as high-risk, ensuring that each operator has a multi-vendor strategy, maintaining a diverse and sustainable 5G supply chain and facilitating standardisation and the development of EU-wide certification schemes.

Author :

Pierre Lucas

Data Policies

E-Privacy Directive

On 21 February, the Croatian Presidency presented a proposal for a new text on the Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications, which focuses on articles 6 (permitted processing) and 8 (end-users' terminal equipment information). This is an attempt to overcome the persisting blockage in the adoption of the text by the Council.

Author : Pierre Lucas

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Machinery Directive (MD) Member States and Stakeholders tabled a number of suggestions for the revision of the Machinery Directive during the past Machinery Working Group meetings on 3 December 2019 and 20 February 2020. The focus was particularly on the implication of emerging technologies for the safety and reliability of control systems, software updates and cybersecurity aspects in machinery (impact on Annex IV and V of the Directive). Orgalim and other stakeholders provided the Commission with comprehensive comments to the tabled proposals (more) in February. As a next step, the European Commission expects stakeholders to submit by mid-April either concrete amendment proposals on aspects currently flagged for a possible revision or sound rationales against them. Before the viral outspread of the COVID-19, the Commission envisaged a meeting with the Member States, without the participation of industry stakeholders on 14 May with the aim to test an initial draft legislative proposal for the revision of the MD. This proposal would then be discussed before the end of the year (the MD revision is included in the Commission Work Programme 2020). Meanwhile, the evaluation report of the application of the Machinery Directive contracted to the VVA Consultancy is expected by mid-May. During the February MD WG meeting the consultant in charge gave a presentation of the results of the Impact Assessment study. The next meeting of the Machinery Experts WG is tentatively set on 9-10 November 2020.

Author :

Philippe Portalier*

*Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Outdoor Noise Directive (OND) The revision process of the Outdoor Noise Directive (OND) is taking longer than initially foreseen. We are still waiting for the publication of the evaluation conclusions, which is expected in the next weeks. The Commission’s evaluation report and the accompanying document were submitted for an internal consultation, so-called interservice consultation, at the beginning of 2020.

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Then, the European Commission will launch a public consultation in the context of the impact assessment. We expect further clarification on the immediate next steps and full process timing, once a new desk officer in charge of the file is designated in DG Grow.

Author :

Anne-Claire Rasselet

ATEX Directive Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/260 of 25 February 2020 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1202 as regards explosion prevention and protection has been published in the Official Journal of the EU.

Author :

Olivier Janin* *Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Low Voltage Directive (LVD) The Low Voltage Directive (LVD) currently is under evaluation. The consultant’s evaluation study was discussed at the last LVD Working Party that took place on 4th November 2019. Other issues discussed at the meeting include industrial plugs, formal objections against certain standards (kitchen machines, refrigerating appliances, whirlpools) and a report from CENELEC on standardisation activities. The official report is available from the secretariat. The European Commission is now working on a Staff Working Document summarising the outcome of the study. The next Working Party meeting is scheduled on 7th July 2020.

Author :

Olivier Janin*

*Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (EMCD) In January, the European Commission published the roadmap for the evaluation and fitness check of the Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC). This was the first step of the EMC Directive evaluation that will assess if the Directive is still fit for purpose in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value. The evaluation intends to collect evidence and information to identify possible difficulties during the implementation that may require regulatory or/and non- regulatory corrective measures and the adequacy of the directives’ provisions in light of scientific and technological progress. The areas subject to evaluation notably include the scope, the essential requirements and the interaction with other EU legislations (in particular the Low Voltage Directive, the Radio Equipment Directive and the Machinery Directive. Besides the evaluation will also consider past studies in particular focusing on exclusions of certain equipment, such as cables, from the EMCD scope, the flexibility in the marking for the identification of the products under EMCD, the lighter requirements on technical documentation and the definition of the scope covering wide areas rather than specific products. On the basis of the conclusions, the Commission will assess whether next steps may be necessary to improve the performance of the Directive. Moreover, a series of decisions of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between the European Community and the United States of America of 5 February 2020 related to the listing of Conformity Assessment Bodies under the Sectoral Annex for Electromagnetic Compatibility, were published in the Official Journal of the EU on 19th February 2020.

Author :

Olivier Janin*

*Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Radio Equipment Directive (RED) At the last Low Voltage Directive Working Party meeting held on 4th November 2019, the European Commission informed that in support of adopting delegated acts to adapt the Radio Equipment Directive to emerging digital technologies, DG GROW is conducting two cost-benefit analysis studies regarding (i) data and privacy protection

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

and protection from fraud; and (ii) upload of software for radio equipment. They are expected to be completed by Q2 2020.

Author :

Olivier Janin* *Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

New Legislative Framework (NLF) The ‘living’ and non-binding Blue Guide on the implementation of EU laws aligned with the New Legislative Framework (NLF), a reference for Member States, the European Commission and stakeholders, is up for revision. The revision of the Blue Guide aims particularly at:

• reflecting new legislation that has been adopted since 2016 and in particular Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products;

• exploring to what extent the current rules can be interpreted to adapt to the digital age and the circular economy, notably regarding the use of electronic means/format as an alternative to postal/prints of various markings and other administrative requirements of NLF-type legislation. Last December, the European Commission launched an informal consultation of Member States and stakeholders for suggestions of definitions, concepts, and procedures that could be taken into consideration. Among others, Orgalim welcomed this opportunity in a position paper (27/01/2020) and suggested several areas for clarification, including:

• Legal concepts and definitions in relation to the application of the Lex Specialis, ‘Placing on the market’, ‘fulfilment service provider’, ‘end user’, ‘Authorised representative’, ‘serious risk’, and more;

• An alternative to comply through digital means to facilitate the provision of documentary evidence, including traceability requirements (web address or electronic declaration of conformity);

• An alternative to provide to the end user the product documentation and safety information via electronic means as an acceptable alternative to the printed paper format;

• The new provisions in Regulation 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products, which should facilitate the setting up and the operation

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

of ‘joint initiatives’ between trade associations and market surveillance authorities. The work on the update of the Blue Guide should be finished by the end of 2020.

Author :

Philippe Portalier

*Interi m issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Regulation on market surveillance and compliance On 21 February 2020, the European Commission invited stakeholders to participate in an ad hoc workshop on draft guidelines on the application of Article 4 of Regulation 2019/1020, on the market surveillance and compliance of products. This article 4 sets additional obligations to those economic operators based outside of the EU that place their products on the Single Market, mainly via online platforms. Most stakeholders, including Orgalim, insisted that horizontal issues should be dealt with in the Blue Guide; therefore, there should not be horizontal definitions such as ‘placing on the market’ in these ad hoc guidelines. Almost all stakeholders rejected the formulation ‘responsible person’, as it is not present in the Regulation and prompted using ‘responsible economic operator’ instead. They also pushed back the proposal of consumers (BEUC) to request the email address or the telephone number of this responsible economic operator, as it would lead to a lot of administrative burden (e.g. problem to handle the language issue), while it is not a legal requirement. In the interest of timeliness and cost-efficiency, it was also advocated that the guideline should clarify that market surveillance authorities should indicate the part of the technical file that they want to receive from the responsible economic operator. The Commission calls for written comments before 17 April. Please note that the Commission will not send a second draft before publishing these ad hoc guidelines on Article 4 as an official Commission notice in the Official Journal of the by the end of 2020 at the latest.

Author :

Philippe Portalier* *Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Standardisation Policy Since 2019, the European Commission is rolling out the decisions announced in its Communication (COM(2018)764 final) on harmonised standards, with the main aim of ensuring a so-called ‘legal certainty’ of the process for the request, development and citation of harmonised standards. Since then, the Commission services regard standards as an extension of EU law, which results in new administrative burden for the request and citation of new or revised harmonised standards in the Official Journal of the EU. A non-binding publication of a ‘summary list’ of already cited standards is sometime made on the Commission’s website, but often in a less practical format than before. As this process creates a number of issues for the industry, on 27 January 2020 Orgalim and 20 other European trade associations launched a joint call to Shape a New Deal for the Single Market between the EU policymaker, standards organisations and the industry to restore better framework conditions for the Single Market based on a functional European standardisation system. Orgalim planned to promote the urgency for such a ‘new deal’ for standardisation in a number of events, which were cancelled or postponed due to precautionary measures in response to the coronavirus outspread. The objective remains to push Member States representatives to assess the political dimension of the situation and request an independent assessment of the interpretation of Regulation 1025/2012 on European standardisation and its impact on users and developers.

Author : Philippe Portalier* *Interim issue manager until the return of Ioana Smarandache from parental leave

Issues of General Interest

Industrial Policy On 10 March, the European Commission published a set of four policy documents related to its Industrial Strategy, including: • A new industrial strategy for Europe • An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

1. A new industrial strategy for Europe The document proposes to focus the EU’s industrial strategy on three pillars: internal and international competitiveness (global level playing field and Internal Market) and what is called “twin ecological and digital transition”. To this it adds the concepts of European sovereignty (more precisely “reinforcing Europe’s industrial and strategic autonomy) and “industrial eco-systems” (which somewhat replaces the concept of “Strategic Value Chains” used by the previous Commission) while mentioning the European Pillar of Social Rights as our “compass” and “our social market” traditions to ensure that the twin transitions are socially fair. The document then develops the content of the three pillars: • A globally competitive industry, which requires competition and reinforcing market access including in the area of public procurement, a more integrated single market and an upgraded world trading system, • An industry paving the way to climate neutrality based on the “European Green Deal” designated as Europe’s new growth strategy and • An industry shaping Europe’s digital future, counting on the digital sector as a source of clean technology solutions and insisting on critical digital infrastructure where Europe needs to enhance its industrial capacity Then follow seven areas of action: • Deeper and more digital single market, including a policy on SMEs, on Intellectual Property and an “independent EU competition policy” • Reinforced the EU’s global playing field • Support to industry towards climate neutrality, particularly energy intensive sectors, transport and energy • A more circular economy, also with sector specific plans completing the Circular Economy Action Plan • A spirit of industrial innovation focusing on already planned instruments notably Horizon Europe and the PPPs • Skilling and Re-skilling, focusing in general terms on the “twin transition” and including a Digital Education action plan • Investments, with a specific mention of financing new Important Projects of Common European Importance (IPCEIs) and of a new Digital Finance Strategy

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

In the fourth part, the Commission focuses on reinforcing Europe’s industrial and strategic autonomy, including sectoral actions on the defence, space, raw materials and pharmaceutical industries and the development and deployment of strategic digital infrastructures Finally, a governance is proposed built on a partnership approach, particularly with the creation of an Industrial Forum (by September 2020) and the promotion of industrial alliances, including “industrial clouds and platforms” on the model of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance.

2. An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe The strategy insists on the central role which SMEs play in the European economy and therefore in its envisaged twin transitions, its competitiveness and Europe’s economic and technological sovereignty. It builds on three pillars: • Capacity-building and support for the transition to sustainability and digitalisation, with a) an upgrade of existing support instruments , notably the Enterprise Europe Network (with the provision of dedicated Sustainability Advisors) and the Digital Innovation Hubs, b) a specific focus of the skills policy on SMEs (digital crash courses; digital volunteers, dedicated component of the updated Skills Agenda for Europe, c) the dedication of €300 million to encourage breakthrough Green Deal innovations under the European Innovation Council of Horizon Europe and d) support to Intellectual Property (IP) - the upcoming Intellectual Property Action Plan will contain elements to support SMEs with their IP strategies • Reducing regulatory burden and improving market access, with a focus on the transposition of Internal Market rules to reduce administrative burden to a minimum, on a simplified access to product procurement, on the enforcement by the Member States of the Late Payment Directive and the Directive on preventive restructuring frameworks and on a better access to specific sectoral initiatives (Defence, Space) and to third country markets • Improving access to finance, with a support to initial public offerings of SMEs, the creation of a specific instrument to boost venture capital (ESCALAR initiative), initiatives on the Green tech and block chain-based and the simplification of state-aid rules for risk finance

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

In terms of governance the Commission will appoint a high-level SME Envoy, driving the work of the SMEs Envoys Network, and will launch a group of Strategic Entrepreneurship Ambassadors.

Author :

Pierre Lucas

Digitalisation On 19 February, the European Commission published a set of four policy documents related to its digital strategy:

• A Communication on “Shaping Europe's digital future” • A Communication on “A European strategy for data” • A White Paper on “Artificial Intelligence - A European approach to excellence and trust” • A Report on the safety and liability implications of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and robotics

1. Communication “Shaping Europe’s Digital Future” The “umbrella” Communication sets out the Commission strategy on how to achieve the objective of maximising digitalisation benefits while preserving European values. The strategy proposes to act in the following three areas: • “Technology that works for people”, with actions in the following areas: a) artificial intelligence (White Paper – see below), a European cybersecurity strategy, including the establishment of a joint Cybersecurity Unit, b) a review of the Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive and a push to the single market for cybersecurity, and c) ; an updated Action Plan on 5G and 6G (2021-2023) to accelerate investments in Europe’s Gigabit connectivity. • “A fair and competitive digital economy”, with a) a European Data Strategy (see below), b) an evaluation and review of the fitness of EU competition rules for the digital age (2020-2023) and the launch of a sector inquiry (2020); a revision of the Digital Services Act package (platforms); and an Industrial Strategy Package (see above) putting forward a range of actions to facilitate the transformation towards clean, circular, digital and globally competitive EU industries, including SMEs and the reinforcement of single market rules. • “An open, democratic and sustainable society”, with a circular electronics initiative (in line with the policy framework for sustainable products of the

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

circular economy action plan – see below) and initiatives to achieve climate- neutral, highly energy-efficient and sustainable data centres (deadline 2030) and transparency measures for telecoms operators on their environmental footprint.

2. European Commission Communication “A European Strategy for Data” The overall objective is to increase access to and use of data, via: • An “enabling legislative framework for the governance of common European data spaces”, foreseen for Q4 2020, aiming at a) prioritising standardisation to enable interoperability, b) facilitating the use of data for scientific research purposes, c) making it easier for individuals to use data for the public good in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and d) creating a common European industrial (manufacturing) data space, to support the competitiveness and performance of the EU’s industry (the Commission will gather key players from the manufacturing sector to agree, in compliance with competition and principles of fair contracts, the conditions under which they would be ready to share their data and how to further boost data generation. • A new proposal for a “Data Act”, foreseen in 2021, aiming at a) supporting business-to-business data sharing: Addressing issues related to usage rights for co-generated data (such as IoT data in industrial settings), typically laid down in private contracts; b) Identifying and addressing any undue existing hurdles hindering data sharing and clarifying rules for the responsible use of data; c) Making access to data compulsory only in specific instances; fostering business-to-government data sharing for the public interest; evaluating the Intellectual Property Rights framework (including a possible revision of the Database Directive and a possible clarification of the application of the Trade Secrets Protection Directive); clarifying competition rules:. • An investment of up to €2 billion in a High Impact project on European data spaces (data sharing architectures, including standards for data sharing, best practices, tools) and governance mechanisms.

3. White Paper on Artificial Intelligence - A European Approach to Excellence and Trust The White Paper is structured around two building blocks: a policy framework aiming at mobilising resources (in partnership with the private sector) to create an

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

“ecosystem of excellence” and a regulatory framework that would put in place an “ecosystem of trust”. The “ecosystem of excellence” builds on: • a strong cooperation with the Member States to deliver on the 2018 Coordinated Plan on AI (to be revised), focusing, in particular, on investments (objective: €20 billion per year of total investment on AI), • R&D and innovation focusing on industry, health, transport, finance, agri-food value chains, energy/ environment, forestry as well earth observation and space, • the reinforcement of the digital skills policy, building on the Digital Europe Programme and involving social partners (moreover, an update of the Digital Education Action Plan is expected from the Commission during the second quarter of 2020), • a focus on SMEs and start-ups with the support of the Digital Innovation Hubs (one specialised DIH on AI per Member State) and the artificial intelligence on- demand platform, and of the InvestEU programme, with a 100 million equity pilot scheme to be launched in Q1 2020, • the creation of a Public Private Partnership on AI, Data and Robotics, • the promotion, starting with healthcare and transport, of the adoption of AI by the public sector (also helping with a transformation of the public procurement processes), • the improvement of access to and management of data, including investment in high performance and quantum computing (€4 billion from the Digital Europe Programme), • International cooperation with international organisations, “like-minded countries” and global players. The “eco-system of trust” consists of a regulatory framework building on the seven key requirements of the Guidelines on trustworthy AI developed by the High-Level Expert Group on AI. It addresses the main risks posed by AI technologies: fundamental rights (including personal data protection, privacy protection and non- discrimination), and safety and liability. The White Paper identifies a number of areas where legislation could be improved, including: effective application and enforcement of existing EU and national legislation, limitations of scope of existing EU legislation, changing functionality of AI systems, uncertainties related to the allocation of responsibilities between economic

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

operators, or changes in the concept of safety. While some Member States are exploring options for national legislations, there is a risk of fragmentation of the Internal Market (the issue is also discussed in the Report on the safety and liability implications of Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and robotics, discussed below) A horizontal piece of legislation could be proposed that starts with a definition of AI and focuses on high-risk applications based on a combination of two sets of cumulative criteria: an exhaustive list of high-risk sectors, and a general definition of high-risk uses; it could be completed by a voluntary labelling scheme for those products that do not fall under the cumulative criteria. The legislation would address each actor who is the best placed to address any potential risk, and any actor operating on the EU market. Compliance and enforcement would be ensured via an ex-ante assessment for high-risk applications, and a voluntary labelling regime for low-risk applications, completed by a framework for cooperation between the national competent authorities.

4. Report on the safety and liability implications of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Robotics This report provides background arguments for the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence, notably related to • Safety: the current product safety legislation contains a number of gaps that need to be addressed, in particular the General Product Safety Directive, Machinery Directive, the Radio-Equipment Directive and the overall New Legislative Framework. Explicit provisions on cyber risks and risks related to the loss of connectivity of devices could be considered. • Autonomy (risk assessment): a new risk assessment procedure after placing on the market could be foreseen where the product is subject to important changes during its lifetime, e.g. different product function, not foreseen by the manufacturer in the initial risk assessment. Moreover, legislation may foresee specific requirements for human oversight, as a safeguard, from the product design and throughout the lifecycle of the AI products and systems. • Opacity: requirements for transparency of algorithms, as well as for robustness, accountability and, when relevant, human oversight and unbiased outcomes should be foreseen. The notion of ‘putting into circulation’ that is currently used by the Product Liability Directive could be revisited to consider that products may change and be altered.

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

• Standalone software: specific considerations should be given to the stand- alone software ensuring safety functions in the AI products and systems. Additional obligations may be needed for manufacturers to ensure that they provide features to prevent the upload of software having an impact on safety during the lifetime of the AI products. • Complex value chains: while the producer’s responsibility on the final product safety has been proved adequate for current complex value chains, explicit provisions specifically requesting cooperation between the economic operators in the supply chain and the users could provide legal certainty in perhaps even more complex value chains. • Burden of proof: the Commission is seeking views whether and to what extent it may be needed to mitigate the consequences of complexity by alleviating/reversing the burden of proof required by national liability rules for damage caused by the operation of AI applications, through an appropriate EU initiative. Currently, the Product Liability Directive relies on national rules on the evidence and the establishment of causation. • High-risk AI applications: strict liability may be needed in order to achieve effective compensation of possible victims.

Author :

Pierre Lucas

Electromagnetic Fields The European Commission has started the evaluation process of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/30/EU1 (EMCD). The objectives of the EMCD are to require electrical equipment placed on the EU market to comply with an adequate level of electromagnetic compatibility so that electromagnetic disturbances produced by the equipment do not affect the correct functioning of other such equipment. As the Directive has been in place for 30 years with no major changes, the Commission wishes to assess whether adaptions are needed, especially in view of technological developments. After a roadmap consultation took place at the beginning of the year, a public consultation is announced in the first quarter of 2020. The Commission will make a legislative proposal in mid-2021 if a need for change is identified. (Note: a delay in the publication of the consultation is likely to occur as a result of COVID-19).

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Author :

Laure Dulière

Intellectual Property Rights In the Communication A New Industrial Strategy for Europe published on 10 March, the European Commission announced its intention to develop an Intellectual Property Action Plan to assess the need to upgrade the legal framework, ensure a smart use of IP, and better fight IP theft. This plan is part of the section Creating certainty for industry: A deeper and more digital single market. The Action Plan is more detailed in the Communication an SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe. The EC will propose measures to make the IP system more effective for SMEs through actions to simplify IP registration procedures, to improve access to strategic IP advice, and to facilitate the use of IP as a lever to gain access to finance. Finally, in the Communication Long term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of single market rules, the European Commission announced (Action 14) its intention to strengthen the fight against counterfeiting and illegal products. The EC will consider expanding the mandate of OLAF to cover intra-EU cases where illicit products may be produced or assembled from imported components inside the EU, as well as reinforcing the cooperation with Member States authorities and third- countries.

Author :

Luca Conti

European Consumer Policy On 7 January, the new Directive on better enforcement and modernisation of EU consumer protection rules entered into force following its publication in the EU Official Journal on 18 December 2019. Member States now have 2 years to transpose it into national law. More information on the new consumer rules is available here.

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Services Package In the Communication Long term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of single market rules published on 10 March, the European Commission announced (Action 1) it will update the Handbook on the implementation of the Services Directive. The new version of the Handbook will cover recent case-law touching upon core elements of the Directive, and provide guidance on legal questions arising from the emergence of new business models and new ways of providing services. Moreover, the European Commission invited the European Parliament and Council to accelerate the adoption of the legislative proposal for a new Services Notifications Directive (action 11). Once adopted, the EC will be able to ensure that Member States will comply with the new provisions and identify potential regulatory barriers. As a background, the file of the revision of the Directive on notification procedures related to services (part of the Services Package) has been stuck at trialogue level since the end of 2018.

Author :

Luca Conti

Product Liability Directive In the Communication: Long-term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of single market rules published on 10 March, the European Commission announced it will develop a Guidance on the Product Liability Directive to provide more specific explanatory tools for national authorities (Action 1). This action, which includes other guidelines on the interpretation of the EU Law to some legislations, is part of a broader number of actions aimed at identifying the priorities of the Single Market Enforcement Task Force. Moreover, in the Report on the safety and liability implications of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and robotics published on 19 February, the European Commission reported that it will assess whether economic actors active in emerging technologies, such as software developers, could be considered producers according to the Product Liability Directive.

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

MARKET ACCESS

Dual-use items • Update of EU dual-use export control list On 30 December 2019, the 2019 annual Delegated Regulation updating the EU dual- use export control list in Annex I of the Dual Use Regulation was published in the EU Official Journal. This Delegated Regulation brings the dual-use Regulation in line with the decisions taken within the framework of the international non-proliferation regimes and export control arrangements in 2018. The majority of the changes result from amendments agreed in the Wassenaar Arrangement, as well as in the Missile Technology Control Regime. On 17 January, the European Commission published a Notice Information on measures adopted by the Member States in conformity with the Articles of the Dual Use Regulation referring to its implementation.

• Dual Use Export Control Regulation Recast As a background, the European Parliament adopted its position in January 2018, while the Council agreed on its General Approach in June 2019. Trialogue negotiations started at the end of 2019 and continued in the first Quarter of 2020 under the Council Presidency of Croatia. Some progress was made on the issue of transparency, monitoring, licensing and the general export authorisation system. Some divergences remain on the autonomous list, human right issues, and export control of cyber–surveillance technology. As for the next steps, the trialogue negotiations will continue in Q2 2020, with the next political meeting tentatively taking place on 26 March followed by two technical meetings. The EU Institutions aim at finalising the negotiation by the end of these meetings if agreements on the pending topics are found.

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Issues of General Interest

Brexit On 25 February, the Council adopted a decision: • authorising the opening of negotiations for a new partnership with the UK; • formally nominating Michel Barnier as EU negotiator; • approving the negotiating directives which will constitute the mandate to the Commission for the negotiations. The negotiation mandate will focus on three main areas: economic partnership, security partnership, and the institutional framework and governance. The future partnership should lead towards robust commitments to ensure a level playing field for open and fair competition, and to establish a free trade agreement with the UK which ensures that zero tariff and quota apply to trade in goods. The agreement should also provide for cooperation on customs and regulatory aspects, as well as include effective management and supervision, dispute settlement and enforcement arrangements. Furthermore, the mandate includes recommendations for future cooperation in areas such as digital trade, intellectual property, public procurement, mobility, transport, and energy. Meanwhile in early February, the UK presented its negotiating position. Following the official launch of the negotiations, the first meeting between the EU and the UK took place on 2-5 March, followed by the EC publication of the Draft Legal Text on 18 March. The negotiations process is expected to last ten rounds, probably through video-conference, ahead of the transition period deadline. As a background, on 1 February, the UK’s membership of the EU ceased. A transition period is in place until 31 December 2020. During this time the majority of existing arrangements remain. From 1 January 2021, the UK’s relationship with the EU should be ruled by Free Trade arrangements agreed. The transition period can be extended once for a period of up to one or two years, if both sides agree to this before 1 July 2020. Here more information about the negotiations, here the Readiness notices: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom and EU rules; and here a Briefing on the future of EU-UK trade relationship published by the European Parliament.

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Anti-Counterfeiting & Anti-Dumping

Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List On 18 February, the European Commission published a Public Consultation on the Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List. The objective of this consultation is to identify online and physical marketplaces located outside the European Union that are reported to engage in or facilitate substantial Intellectual Property Rights infringements, and in particular piracy and counterfeiting. This Public Consultation follows the Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List that was published in December 2018. The Watch List is aimed at encouraging operators of these marketplaces, local enforcement authorities and governments to tackle intellectual property abuse. The current List has four focus areas: websites providing copyright-protected content, e-commerce platforms, online pharmacies, and physical marketplaces. Counterfeit products can be also found in the engineering and technology sectors, with non-genuine car parts and counterfeit machinery. Contributors are requested to mention potential new marketplaces currently infringing IPRs and to specify which actions they have taken to address IP infringements on their platforms or while providing their services. The results of the consultation will be assessed by the EC to publish an update Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List at the end of 2020. The deadline to submit contributions is 12 May 2020.

Author :

Luca Conti

Generalised Scheme of Preferences On 11 March, the European Commission published a public consultation on a new Regulation establishing the European Union's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). The purpose is to gather input to prepare a future proposal as the current regulation will expire at the end of December 2023. The public consultation is open for stakeholders’ contributions until 3 June.

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

World Trade Organisation (WTO) • EU case on ICT products against India On 17 February, the EU notified its action against unlawful trade restrictions affecting EU exporters of information and communications technology (ICT) products by requesting World Trade Organisation (WTO) panels with India. The dispute concerns exports of products such as cell phones, telephone handsets and telecommunication wires hit by tariffs of up to 20%, contrary to the Indian WTO duty- free commitments and affecting exports worth around €400 million a year. As a background, in April 2019 the EU claimed that India was in breach of WTO rules and requested dispute consultations with India. Further the unsuccessful bilateral negotiations last year, the EU requested to settle a WTO panel with India. During the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meeting that took place on 5 March, India reiterated they made a mistake when transposing tariff lines to an updated Harmonized System. India rejected the EU request for the establishment of a panel, and the DSB agreed to revert the matter.

• Turkey dispute complaint against EU steel safeguard On 19 March, Turkey requested to open a WTO dispute consultations with the EU regarding the EU’s definitive safeguard measures on 26 categories of imported steel products which the EU decided to apply in February 2019. Turkey claimed that these safeguard measures are inconsistent with a number of provisions of the Agreement on Safeguards and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The parties now have 60 days to try to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation.

Author :

Luca Conti

Trade Defence Instruments Date of Legal act Product Country of Measure Date Publication origin or exportation 18.12.2019 Notice of Certain cast China Anti-dumping Investigation reopening of iron articles duty to be investigation concluded by

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

18 September 2020 19.12.2019 Commission Tungsten China, Circumvention Investigation Implementing electrodes India, of Anti- to be Regulation Laos, dumping duty concluded by initiating an Thailand 19 September investigation 2020 16.01.2020 Commission Certain steel Multiple Imposing Entered into Implementing products countries definitive force: Regulation safeguard 17.01.2020. amending measures Applicability: 1 Implementing October 2019 Regulation 24.01.2020 Commission Certain hot China, Making Registrations Implementing rolled Indonesia imports to expire on 25

Regulation stainless subject to October 2020 steel sheets registration and coils 24.01.2020 Commission Certain hot China, Making Registrations Implementing rolled Taiwan, imports to expire on 25

Regulation stainless Indonesia subject to October 2020 steel sheets registration and coils 24.01.2020 Notice of Certain Belarus, Expiry review Investigation

initiation welded pipes China, of anti- to be and tubes of Russia dumping duty concluded by iron or non- 25 April 2021 alloyed steel 05.02.2020 Notice of the Tube and China Anti-dumping Expiration of impending pipe fittings duty duty on 29

expiry of iron or October 2020 steel 06.02.2020 Notice of the Certain grain- China, Anti-dumping Expiration of impending oriented flat- Japan, duty duty on 31

expiry rolled South October 2020 products of Korea, silicon- Russia, electrical United steel States of America 14.02.2020 Notice of Aluminium China Anti-dumping Investigation initiation of a extrusions duty to be

proceeding concluded, by

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

15 April 2021. Provisional measures may be imposed by 15 October 2020 14.02.2020 Notice of Certain steel - Safeguard Review to be initiation of a products measures concluded by review 30 June 2020 21.02.2020 Commission Frames and United Additional Applicability Delegated mountings of States of customs duties from 1 May Regulation base metal, America 2020 amending EC Crane lorries Regulation

Annex 02.03.2020 Commission Tubes and India Termination of Implementing pipes of partial interim

Decision ductile cast review of the iron countervailing duty 04.03.2020 COMMISSION Steel road China Definitive anti- Entered into IMPLEMENTI wheels dumping duty force on 5 NG and March 2020

REGULATION definitively collecting the provisional duty 12.03.2020 Notice of the Seamless China Anti-dumping Duties will impending pipes and duty expire on 9 expiry tubes of iron December or steel 2020 13.03.2020 Corrigenda to certain Russia, Definitive anti- Entered into Implementing seamless Ukraine dumping duty force on 14

Regulation pipes and March 2020 tubes, of iron or steel

13.03.2020 Notice On the consequences of the COVID- 19 outbreak on anti-dumping and anti-

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

subsidy investigations

Author :

Luca Conti

EU – Japan On 19 March, the European Commission published a survey regarding the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Its purpose is to collect feedback on the impact of the EPA on EU businesses. The deadline to reply is 30 April.

Author :

Luca Conti

EU – Vietnam On 11 February, the Plenary Session of the European Parliament voted in favour of the EU-Vietnam Agreements, followed by the Council approval on 13 March. As for the next steps, once the parties notify each other that their internal procedures are concluded, the FTA can enter into force. EU Member States will then need to ratify the investment protection agreement, as it is a mixed competence, before it can enter into force.

Author :

Luca Conti

EU – China On 6 March, the European Commission published a roadmap on the EU-China Customs Agreement. This initiative will evaluate customs cooperation and mutual administrative assistance between the EU and China since the signing of the related Agreement in 2004. Interested stakeholders can provide their comment until 3 April.

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

EU’s application and enforcement of international trade rules

On 9 January, the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation amending the Regulation concerning the exercise of the Union's rights for the application and enforcement of international trade rules. The objective of the amendment is to protect EU’s interests under international trade agreements in situations where third countries adopt illegal measures and simultaneously block a dispute settlement process – such as in the current case of WTO. The proposed amendment extends the scope of the Enforcement Regulation to allow for quick action in similar situations negatively affecting the interest of the EU. The file was discussed on 10 March at the Council Working Party on Trade Questions, while the vote in the EP INTA Committee is expected on 27 May.

Author :

Luca Conti

Free Trade Agreements – overview Country Current Status Next steps Singapore Trade and investment Investment Protection agreements were adopted in Agreement to be ratified by all the October 2018. On 21 November Member States before entering 2019 the Free Trade Agreement into force. Here more information entered into force.

Vietnam On 12 February 2020, the The FTA will enter into force once European Parliament gave its it is published in the Official consent to the free trade Journal and the Vietnamese agreement (FTA) and the National Assembly has ratified it. investment protection The IPA will further need to be agreement (IPA). On 13 March ratified by all EU Member States 2020, the Council adopted the according to their own national texts. procedures before it can enter into force. Here more information Mercosur Ongoing negotiations for a free EU and Mercosur will perform a trade agreement. In June, EU legal revision of the agreed text to come up with the final version of

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

and Mercosur reached a the agreement. The EC will then political agreement translate it into all official EU languages and submit the Agreement to Council and the European Parliament for approval. Here more information China Ongoing negotiations for an The next round of negotiations Investment Agreement. 25th will place on 20 – 24 April. Here round of negotiations took more information place took place in Brussels from 16-19 December 2019; 26th round of negotiations took place on 16-20 January 2020 in Brussels; and 27th round of negotiations took place on 3-6 March 2020 via teleconference Australia Ongoing negotiations for a free 7th round of negotiations is trade agreement. 6th round of scheduled on the week of 11 May negotiations took place on 10 – in Brussels. Here more 14 February 2020 in Canberra information

New Ongoing negotiations for a free 7th round of negotiations is Zealand trade agreement. 6th round of scheduled on 30 March - 3 April in negotiations took place on 10 – Brussels. Here more information 13 December 2019 in Wellington Indonesia Ongoing negotiations for a free 10th round of negotiations is trade agreement. 9th round of scheduled on 16 / 20 March 2020 negotiations took place on 2 – in Bali. Here more information 6 December in Brussels.

Tunisia Ongoing negotiations for a free The next round is scheduled in trade agreement. 4th round of Spring 2020. Here more negotiations took place in 28-30 information April/1-2 May 2019 in Tunis. Chile Ongoing negotiations to revise 7th round will take place in the and modernise the free trade spring 2020 in Brussels. Here agreement. 6th round of more information negotiations took place on 25 – 29 November in Santiago de Chile.

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

ESA Ongoing negotiations to The date for the next round of (Eastern and deepen the existing Economic negotiations is not scheduled yet. Southern Partnership Agreement (EPA). Here more information Africa 1st round of negotiations took countries: place on 15-17 January 2020 in Comoros, Brussels. Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe)

Author :

Luca Conti

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

ENVIRONMENT

REACH • Candidate List On 16 January ECHA updated the Candidate List to include four new substances. We would like to highlight two of these: 1) dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), which is used in plastics and rubbers, and 2) perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and its salts, which can notably be used as a flame retardant in electronic equipment. The Candidate List now has 205 substances for which downstream users must comply with the relevant communication obligations. Additionally, ECHA has already launched public consultations for another five substances for possible inclusion in the next update – expected mid-July 2020. Of these substances we would highlight resorcinol, which is used in the manufacturing of rubber compounds, resins, coatings adhesives and sealants. The deadline for comments is 17 April.

• Authorisation On 7 February the Authorisation List was updated to include 11 new substances. Users wishing to apply for an authorisation will have until 27 August 2021 to submit their applications to ECHA. Furthermore, ECHA has launched public consultations for seven new substances for possible inclusion in its 10th recommendation for inclusion in the Authorisation List. Several of the substances could be used in the technology industries in multiple applications such as surface treatment, heat transfer fluids, in plastics, adhesives, sealants, coatings and paints. The public consultation will run until 5 June 2020, and stakeholders are invited to submit information on the uses of the substances, possible exemptions and structure and complexity of the supply chains. Regarding the pending authorisation for chromium trioxide of the CTAC Consortium, the latest intelligence is that the authorisation is expected to be voted during the REACH Committee meeting on 28-29 April. However, given that many

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

official meetings are being cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus, it is possible that the vote may be delayed once more. As a reminder, it is expected that the authorisation will be granted for all uses except “Use 3: functional plating with decorative character” (see Bulletin 05/19). The European Commission will likely send an official letter to the CTAC in the coming weeks/months requesting them to submit a substitution plan for this use within a period of six months after the receipt of the letter. Impacted downstream users will possibly be contacted for their input in the preparation of this substitution plan.

• Restriction The Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) published their conclusions on five restrictions. The following substances are highlighted as having a potential impact on the Technology Industries: formaldehyde, cobalt salts, and PFHxS. As a next step, ECHA will launch on 25 March a public consultation for these three substances with a potential adoption in June. The Committee could not reach a conclusion on the restriction for intentionally added microplastics and will continue the discussions during the June meeting. In parallel, ECHA has issued a guideline and organised a workshop for stakeholders on 18 March to comply with the restriction on NMP, which will enter into force in May 2020. This substance is notably used in surface treatment applications for the production of batteries, semiconductors, fibres, and wire coatings.

• Enforcement In 2019, ECHA performed compliance checks on 50% more dossiers. The in-depth checks concerned 301 dossiers covering 247 unique substances. The objective is to improve the quality of the safety information of chemicals. In most cases, ECHA requested further information on the long-term impacts on human health and on the environment, addressing concerns on genetic mutations, effects on unborn children and aquatic toxicity. In order to improve their dossiers registrants are encouraged to check ECHA’s website with recommendations.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

RoHS2 Directive The European Commission officially announced the revision of the RoHS Directive by 2021, both in its 2020 Work Programme and in the Circular Economy Action Plan. Further to the public consultation carried out in 2019, the external consultant held targeted consultations with industry sectors. Primary findings will be presented at a stakeholders’ workshop on 30 March. Then, Ecorys will finalise its evaluation report by April / May. The Commission will publish the report, either separately or together with the evaluation conclusions, around the summer 2020. In parallel to the evaluation, the study on the review of RoHS methodologies and possible new restriction of substances is still running. In this context, the Öko Institut carried out an inventory of substances used in EEE. They also performed a pre- prioritisation and identified 43 priority substances (available here). This list includes many phthalates, flame retardants and substances used for epoxy resins, coatings, and plastic stabilizers. The Öko Institut is collecting data to identify most urgent substances that require a full assessment. Finally, the European Commission published on 5 March a series of delegated acts renewing and granting new RoHS exemptions. The Commission has also published an overview of RoHS exemptions, including their validity status and submitted exemption requests; this tool will be updated on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the ‘Umbrella Project’ submitted about 20 requests in January to renew RoHS exemptions beyond 2021. As a next step, the Commission will contract one or several consultants to perform the technical assessment of these applications. The whole process will last 2 years, at least.

Author :

Anne-Claire Rasselet

WEEE2 Directive The European Commission and their contractor were planning on holding a final stakeholder workshop on 10 March for the ongoing “EU Study on quality standards for the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)”. This meeting was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In preparation for the meeting the contractor had circulated four background documents presenting the preliminary results of the study. These documents (available from the secretariat) cover the following topics: 1) Analysis of European standards for the treatment of WEEE; 2) Situation in EU Member States regarding the

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

implementation of WEEE treatment requirements; 3) Analysis of options regarding the treatment requirements of the WEEE Directive; and 4) Analysis of options for criteria to assess equivalent conditions for WEEE recycling operations. Of relevance to the technology industries are the proposals to establish additional treatment requirements. These would include minimum requirements for the collection, transport, handling, treatment and preparation for re-use. This could be achieved either through an Implementing Act or by amending relevant articles and annexes of the WEEE Directive. Furthermore, the third background document notes that stakeholders actively advocated that “mandatory implementation of the CENELEC standards would guarantee for a continuous adaption of the EU WEEE treatment requirements to technical and scientific progress due to the regular revision process foreseen for these standards”. This could strengthen the provisions of the WEEE Directive and improve clarity for the enforcement authorities.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

Circular Economy Policy The European Commission published on 11 March the new Circular Economy Action Plan – “For a cleaner and more competitive Europe”. The action plan outlines an ambitious set of measures to transform the European economy to make it more sustainable. New technological developments and digital tools are identified as being key enablers for the circular transition. Some of the most notable measures are: • A new Sustainable Product Policy which will build on the Ecodesign Framework and expand the scope to non-energy related products. It will take a more holistic approach to products’ lifetime and may introduce complementary legislative proposals on key sustainability principles such as: durability, upgradeability, recyclability, presence of hazardous substances, environmental footprint and information to consumers through digital tools (such as electronic product passports). • Introduction of a ‘right to repair’ to be included in European Consumer Law. It will also include measures to improve the information to consumers on the products reparability. • Key product value chains: a series of value chains have been identified as of key priority and the Commission announced a series of targeted actions. The

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

value chains include: electronics and ICT, batteries, packaging, construction and buildings. • Waste reduction measures: the Commission will revise existing waste legislation. Furthermore, after this evaluation it may increase the waste collection targets, particularly for municipal waste. Other initiatives will include measures to harmonise separate waste collection systems and improving extended producer responsibility schemes. • Developing a toxic-free environment: the Commission will work with stakeholders to develop measures to track substance information throughout the supply-chain and minimise the presence of substances that pose issues to health, the environment and recovery operations. Furthermore, the upcoming Strategy for Sustainability will also address the interface of chemicals, product and waste policy. • Creating a market for secondary raw materials by potentially introducing requirements for mandatory recycled content, assessing the potential of developing EU-wide end-of-waste criteria for certain waste streams, enhancing the role of standardisation, making use of restrictions for substances of very high concern and improving enforcement at the borders. A summary of all the main announced actions is available from the secretariat.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

Waste Framework Directive

SCIP Database (previously ECHA Waste Database)

On 17 February, ECHA announced it made the SCIP database prototype available to all interested stakeholders for testing. The purpose is to allow companies to test the database and to facilitate companies developing the necessary tools for system-to- system notifications. Furthermore, on 17 March, ECHA hosted a webinar where it presented the database prototype and how to submit article notifications to it. A full recording of the webinar can be found here and a summary is available from the secretariat. In parallel, Member States are now in the process of implementing the Waste Framework Directive into their national legislation, including the requirement to implement the SCIP database. The deadline to transpose it is 5 July 2020. Many industry associations (both national and European) have been advocating to Member

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

States against the extension of information requirements beyond the legal requirement of providing information in accordance with REACH Article 33.1. The Commission was due to organise a joint meeting of the Waste Expert Group and CARACAL on 2 April to discuss the SCIP database development and potentially the issue of information requirements. However, due to the COVID-19 virus this meeting has been postponed until further notice.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

Eco-Management and Audit Scheme The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a voluntary system introduced in 2009 to promote environmental best practices in organisations. The EMAS Regulation requests the Commission to produce Sectoral Reference Documents for best practices for a number of sectors, among which the Fabricated Metal Products manufacturing sector. The Commission’s Joint Research Centre has published a report on “Best Environmental Management Practice in the Fabricated Metal Product Μanufacturing sector” that will feed into the future Sectoral Document.

Author :

Laure Dulière

Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) As regards the review of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), the evaluation study is nearly finished. According to main outcomes, the directive has been effective, efficient and coherent: it contributed to reducing air and water pollution, while the BREF process can be improved. However, the directive did not fully address resource efficiency and circular economy aspects. As regards the next step, the European Commission will publish its evaluation conclusions on the IED evaluation once the evaluation report of RICARDO is finalised. It is important to underline the overall political context in which this exercise is taking place: the EU Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan and ‘zero pollution ambition’ for air, water and soil. European measures addressing pollution from large industrial installations will be revised to make regulations fully consistent with climate, energy

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

and circular economy policies. The Commission will also work with Member States to improve the prevention of industrial accidents. In parallel, the implementation still continues. The Commission published the revised best available techniques reference documents (BREF) and conclusions for Waste Incineration in December. In addition, on 20 March, Member States were supposed to vote on the draft BAT conclusions for surface treatment using organic solvents; the draft is available here and related annex here. Finally, the European Commission has published transitional arrangements for notifications of UK national plans under the IED (see here).

Author :

Anne-Claire Rasselet

Issues of General Interest

Battery Policies The European Commission has decided to move forward with one regulatory instrument, merging the requirements from the Batteries Directive (2006/66/EC) and the sustainability criteria being developed initially as part of a potential Ecodesign measure (see Bulletin 05/19). This new instrument will be a Regulation covering both end-of-life criteria and market access. According to the latest intelligence, the new measure will propose increases to collection targets for all types of batteries (particularly for industrial batteries) and measures to tackle single-use batteries such as a potential phase-out or bans on low- quality ones. Furthermore, the measure may also include some bans on certain substances, and then include some sectoral derogations through REACH. The requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility schemes of industrial and automotive batteries will be strengthened. Including clear specifications of the responsibilities for manufacturers to establish collecting points, provide information to consumers, etc. This expansion of requirements will likely not apply to portable batteries. Regarding the measures addressing the sustainability requirements, the Commission plans on introducing declarations on the carbon footprint of batteries used for e- vehicles. Thresholds on the carbon footprint could be implemented, but this is likely to be done through future revisions of the measure. The Commission could also propose other requirements as regards the durability, removability and reparability

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

of batteries. Furthermore, other measures could include introducing measures to improve the interoperability of batteries, such as requirements to have compatible battery management systems. One of the measures explored in the additional work packages of the Ecodesign study (see all final reports here) looked into the possibility of introducing mandatory reporting on the due diligence in the supply chain based on OECD Guidelines. It now appears that this may not be included in the future batteries’ legislation, but that it may have to be done through other instruments such as ecodesign or type-approval legislation. The Commission is now working on the preparation of an impact assessment with the assistance of the contractor Oeko Institut, who is conducting interviews with targeted stakeholders. In parallel, the Commission will launch in the coming days/weeks a short public consultation on an inception impact assessment. This short consultation will cover certain aspects of the future measure such as: responsible sourcing of materials, carbon emissions and the risks of toxicity in production processes. The impact assessment should be presented to the Regulatory Scrutiny Board in June for approval in view of publishing the final proposal by October 2020.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

EU Ecolabel The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre(JRC) published a report on the Revision finalisation of the EU Ecolabel Criteria for Televisions in January 2020. The revision proposes to extend the scope to cover not only television monitors and digital signage displays, but also external computer displays that were formerly under the personal computers criteria. The JRC recommends harmonising the EU ecolabel with the revised EU Ecodesign and EU Energy Labelling Regulations. The discussions on the development of EU Ecolabel criteria for Retail Financial Products are ongoing. The JRC has published a draft technical report on the topic for discussion by technical experts.

Author :

Laure Dulière

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Green Public Procurement On 13 November 2019, the European Commission published green public procurement criteria on public space maintenance (available here). On 9 March, the European Commission published new criteria for voluntary EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) on data centres, server rooms and cloud services. The new criteria include environmental criteria, which are verifiable and encompass the whole life cycle (design, use and end-of-life). Typical routes for procuring data centre products and services are covered, including building and/or equipping a data centre, expanding or consolidating the infrastructure of a new ICT product, outsourcing (i.e. procuring services), operating and/or maintaining facilities. Furthermore, the Commission is currently discussing with stakeholders’ green public procurement criteria for computers. A presentation of the first meeting held in December 2019 is available here. In addition, the European Commission has developed a series of five new Life Cycle Costing (LCC) tools to help public procurers make more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly decisions. Tools are now available for Computers and Monitors, Indoor Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Vending Machines and Imaging Equipment. The user guide material and webinar can be found here. So far of a voluntary nature, the EU GPP criteria are developed to facilitate the inclusion of green requirements in public tender documents. While the adopted EU GPP criteria aim to reach a good balance between environmental performance, cost considerations, market availability and ease of verification, procuring authorities may choose, according to their needs and ambition level, to include all or only certain requirements in their tender documents. However, the Commission has announced in its “new Circular Economy Action Plan” of 11 March, that it will propose minimum mandatory green public procurement (GPP) criteria and targets in sectoral legislation and phase in compulsory reporting to monitor the uptake of GPP.

Author : Author :

Pierre Lucas Laure Dulière

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) The Commission has published the following verified technologies under the ETV Pilot programme: • Airport runoff and perched water treatment EFFE® GX • Large Power PV Water Pumping System

Author :

Laure Dulière

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

ENERGY

Energy Efficiency

Energy Labelling Regulation

On 12 February the European Commission hosted a Consultation Forum meeting to discuss the issue of measured technical parameters, declared and measured values for energy labelling. Ahead of the meeting the Commission distributed a discussion note with questions for stakeholders with the objective of addressing specific questions regarding the recently published energy labelling regulations for electronic displays, light sources, washing machines, washer dryers, dishwashers, refrigerating appliances and refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function. The meeting notes and discussion document are available from the secretariat. The Commission is considering introducing a horizontal amendment for these measures. If it decides to proceed with this approach, then the Commission planned to host a follow-up Consultation Forum meeting. However, with the COVID-19 outbreak this may be delayed.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

Ecodesign Directive The newly announced Sustainable Product Policy will build on the Ecodesign Directive and expand its scope to non-energy related products. Additionally, it will seek to integrate other sustainability principles through supplementary legislation. At this stage it is not clear whether the European Commission will seek to fully re-open the Ecodesign Directive to broaden its scope and integrate the new measures. The Commission is expected to present its proposal in 2021 according to the new Circular Economy Action Plan.

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

It was expected that the European Commission would publish the new Ecodesign Action Plan 2020-2024 but this did not occur. It is not clear therefore when it will be published, but it could tentatively happen in the autumn. We will continue to monitor and report on this issue. Furthermore, on 15 January the European Court of Auditors published a report on the ‘EU action on Ecodesign and Energy Labelling’. In short, the report finds that these legislations have successfully contributed to improving energy efficiency in Europe. However, problems persist. Namely, significant delays in the implementation of measures, consistent issues in lack of compliance and challenges for consumers to differentiate between the most efficient and worst performing products. In order to tackle these issues, it recommends dropping the “package approach” by which the Commission waits to have finalised several measures before publication in the Official Journal. Additionally, it also recommends measures to improve communication amongst Market Surveillance Authorities. In the draft Council Conclusions to be adopted at an upcoming Council meeting, Member States expressed their support to these proposals for improvement.

Ecodesign Directive - Update on Lots / implementing measures

Water and Space Heaters, ENER Lots 1 & 2: For the revision of these product groups the study team has organised four stakeholder Working Groups addressing: Hydrogen, Testing Methods, Calculation Methods and Water Heaters. Several of the meetings of these groups have either been cancelled or will be transformed into web- meetings. A Consultation Forum meeting is tentatively foreseen for September 2020. Electronic displays, ENER Lot 5: On 24 February, a corrigenda for the recently adopted ecodesign (see here) and energy labelling measures (see here) for electronic displays were published in the Official Journal. The corrections mainly apply to the formulas used. Ventilation units, ENTR Lot 6: The second stakeholder meeting was scheduled to take place on 22 April, with a Consultation Forum meeting tentatively announced for 3 July. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak these meetings have been placed on hold until further notice. Lighting sources, ENER Lots 8, 9 & 19: On 24 February, a corrigendum for the recently adopted ecodesign measure for lighting sources was published in the Official Journal (see here). The corrections mainly apply to the formulas used. Compressors, ENER Lot 31: The European Commission and its contractor VHK are now working on finalising the Impact Assessment, with the objective of having it

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

adopted by the Regulatory Scrutiny Board by the end of May. Afterwards, an inter- service consultation would take place before notifying the WTO of the proposed measure (tentatively foreseen in September). A short 4-week public consultation would run in parallel before the final vote by the Regulatory Committee by end of year. Building Automation and Control Systems, ENER Lot 38: The first stakeholder meeting took place on 3 March. The study focuses on additional self-consumption of BACS to operate more than a performance level 0 according to EN 15232. The draft reports, presentations and minutes of the meeting are on the website and meeting notes are available from the secretariat. The next reports are expected to be published in October with the next stakeholder meeting foreseen for November. Refrigerated containers, ENER Lot 39: The study team held on 6 March a web- meeting to present its preliminary report. From a preliminary assessment, it appears that not enough units are produced in Europe to warrant an Ecodesign measure. The study team is assessing alternative policy options including: 1) requirements for the compressors and cooling units for reefers; 2) developing a stand-alone directive on refrigerated containers and other refrigerated intermodal transportation units (ITUs) like swap units; 3) include these in the scope of Regulation (EU) 1095/2015 on professional storage cabinets; and 4) develop an Ecolabel for reefers. Stakeholders can submit comments until 6 April, and the study team will publish the final report in May. A Consultation Forum meeting could take place in the second half of 2020.

Author :

Marina Guajardo

Issues of General Interest

Energy Taxation Directive The Energy Taxation Directive (EDT) lays down rules for the taxation of energy products used as motor or heating fuels and for electricity. On 4 March, the European Commission published a public consultation on an inception impact assessment for the revision of the Energy taxation Directive. Feedback can be given until 1 April. The main objectives of a review of the ETD are aligning taxation of energy products and electricity with EU energy and climate policies, and preserving the EU internal market by updating the scope and the structure of rates as well as by rationalising the use of optional tax exemptions and reductions by Member States.

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

A public consultation including a list of questions will be launched in Q2 2020. The Commission plans to propose a legislative text in the course of next year.

Author :

Laure Dulière

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

DECARBONISATION

& CLIMATE CHANGE

Sustainable finance

Taxonomy Regulation On 18 December 2019, the Council announced that it reached a political agreement with the European Parliament on a classification system, or “taxonomy”, which will provide businesses and investors with a common language to identify what economic activities can be considered environmentally sustainable. The objective is to reorient funding to activities that contribute to making the EU climate neutral by 2050. The classification will also reduce greenwashing by giving clear standards for sustainable products. The framework will be based on six environmental objectives: climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation; sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources; transition to a circular economy; pollution prevention and control; and protection and restauration of biodiversity and ecosystems. In order to qualify as environmentally sustainable, economic activities will need to contribute substantively to at least one of the six environmental objectives, not significantly harm any of the environmental objectives; be compliant with minimum social safeguards and comply with specific ‘technical screening criteria’. With regards to energy, investment in coal will not be considered environmentally sustainable. The agreement insists on “energy sources neutrality”, provided that they are low in greenhouse gas emissions. In parallel to the political discussion, the technical expert group on sustainable finance continued its work on EU taxonomy recommendation and published its final report on 9 March 2020. The report includes the technical screening of a list of economic activities (p56-63). As an example, transmission and distribution of electricity is contributing to all environmental objectives.

Author :

Laure Dulière

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

F-gases The 4th meeting of the F-Gas Consultation Forum due to take place on 25 March 2020 was eventually cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The European Commission has made available the two technical papers provided by the consultant and that will serve as input for the F-Gas reports due later this year: one on alternatives to F-gases in split air-conditioning and the other on availability of HFCs on the EU market. These papers are available from the secretariat. Stakeholders are invited to submit written comments by 20th April. The Commission intends to release shortly a third paper on alternatives to SF6 for switchgears. Meanwhile, the European Commission has opened a consultation on a draft delegated act on Greenhouse gases – national totals (‘inventories’) and their global warming potential (new values, reporting guidelines). The consultation is open until 1st April. In February, The European Environment Agency has published its 2019 F-Gas report , which assesses the data reported in 2019 by European companies on the production, import, export, destruction and feedstock use of F-gases from 2007 until 2018. According to the main findings in 2018, HFC consumption in the EU dropped by 38 % and was already 46 % below the first limit for the EU under the Montreal Protocol Kigali Amendment. The EU is on track for meeting its HFC phase-down obligations.

Author :

Olivier Janin

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

PUBLICATIONS & EVENTS

PUBLICATIONS

Author Date Title

European Environmental December 2019 Report – Renewable Agency Energy in Europe: key for climate objectives, but air pollution needs attention

European Parliament January 2020 Briefing – Is data the new oil?

European Parliament January 2020 Briefing – Understanding Environmental Taxation

Business Europe January 2020 Report – The EU and China - Addressing the systemic challenge: A comprehensive EU strategy to rebalance the relationship with China

European Commission January 2020 Report – Protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries

European Commission January 2020 Study – Automation and the changing nature of work

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

European Commission January 2020 Study – Skills for industry curriculum guidelines 4.0

European Parliament February 2020 Briefing – Just Transition Fund

European Commission February 2020 Study – Blockchain: Legal, governance and interoperability aspects

European Commission February 2020 Study - Due diligence requirements through the supply chain

European Environmental February 2020 Report – Fluorinated Agency greenhouse gases 2019

European Parliament March 2020 At a glance – The Unified Patent Court after Brexit

European Parliament March 2020 Briefing – The ethics of artificial intelligence: issues and initiatives

European Parliament March 2020 Briefing – Future EU-UK trade relationship

European Commission March 2020 Study – Support for the upcoming Commission initiative towards an EU product policy framework supportive of circular economy

European Commission March 2020 Study – Assessment and roadmap for the digital transformation of the energy sector towards an innovative internal market

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

EVENTS

Organiser Date Name & Location

European IP Helpdesk 15 April 2020 The Importance of IP for SMEs Webinar

SCALER & EIT Climate-KIC 21-22 April 2020 Scaling the Circular Economy for Industry - Unlocking the potential of industrial symbiosis in Europe Brussels, Belgium

European Commission 4-5 May 2020 Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference Brussels, Belgium

E.DSO & ENTSO-E 5-6 May 2020 INNOGRID2020+ : Networks for the European Green Deal Brussels, Belgium EIT Raw Materials 18-20 May 2020 Raw Materials Summit 2020 Berlin, Germany

European IP Helpdesk 19 May 2020 IP and Artificial Intelligence Webinar

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020

Orgalim Partnership Information Bulletin 01 /20 – March 2020