Brussels, 28/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 28 July, the European Commission published 16 opinions adopted by the REFIT Platform, which brings together a diverse group of experts to make suggestions on how to improve existing EU legislation and the way it is implemented in member states (see EUROPE 11317, 11455).
The opinions make suggestions on how to reduce the administrative burden and will feed into the Commission's reflection on its 2017 Work Programme (see EUROPE 11589). The REFIT Platform is chaired by Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and composed of high-level experts from each member state, business and other civil society interests, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.
The work of the REFIT Platform is driven by its members, on the basis of input received from the public via the “Lighten the Load” tool.
The Commission will respond to each opinion submitted and will systematically and publicly explain how it will follow up on the suggestions. The 16 published opinions cover a number of areas: chemical substances (registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals - REACH regulation), competition (an opinion on “broad band” state aid and another on the definition of innovation), communication networks, content and technology (“ePrivacy”), the environment (Directive 2002/96/EC on electrical and electronic equipment waste), financial stability, financial services and Capital Market Union (with an opinion on financial reporting), health and food safety (an opinion on Regulation 1935/2004 on material and objects intended to come into contact with food, and an opinion on Directive 96/23/EC on control measures to be introduced for certain substances and their residues in live animals and products made from them), horizontal issues (an opinion on the European Citizens' Initiative), internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (an opinion on the construction products regulation, and an opinion on points of single contact, statistics (environmental protection) and, finally, taxation and Customs Union (four opinions including one on reverse liability and one on the VAT information gateway). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)