The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU wants to deepen the internal market on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, according to its programme and timetable for the next 6 months. In addition, it will be committed to advancing key issues related to industrial and intellectual property policy.
“The Presidency will mark the 30th anniversary of the launch of the internal market. This is a natural starting point in establishing a path for how EU competitiveness can be strengthened in the long term”, reads the Presidency document.
In this respect, the Presidency intends to work on the issue of internal trade barriers for both goods and services. It will focus in particular on the implementation and enforcement of European internal market regulations. As a reminder, the European Commission is planning a Communication in early 2023 on the occasion of the Internal Market’s jubilee (see EUROPE 13083/22, 13080/14).
The Presidency will work on the negotiations on the legislative draft Single Market Emergency Instrument (see EUROPE 13060/8) and aims to advance the new Ecodesign Regulation (see EUROPE 13075/5) and the Construction Products Regulation (see EUROPE 12978/18) together.
The Presidency will also focus on industrial issues. In this respect, it is waiting for the presentation by the European Commission of an initiative on critical raw materials, which is expected to take place at the end of the first quarter (see EUROPE 13032/2). It will also prioritise the review of the Euro 7 for combustion engine vehicles (see EUROPE 13062/22, 13061/14). Similarly, the Presidency hopes to make progress in the interinstitutional negotiations on the “Chips Act” initiative, once the European Parliament has adopted its positions on the subject in January (see EUROPE 13085/41).
In addition, the Presidency will focus on the entry into force of the unitary patent system, which has been slightly delayed (see EUROPE 13079/28). It will start negotiations on the review of the legislation on design protection (see EUROPE 13079/35). It will also focus on the negotiations with the European Parliament on protected geographical indications for craft and industrial products (see EUROPE B1307503). The European Parliament is expected to adopt a position on this issue in the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) in February 2023.
The Swedish Presidency plans to hold two ‘Competitiveness’ Councils on 1 and 2 March and 22 May. An informal meeting on competitiveness will be held on 6 and 7 February.
A Presidency eagerly awaited by the European Parliament
Contacted by EUROPE, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, Germany), said she expects the Swedish Presidency to have the same level of ambition as the Czech Presidency. The latter has shown “great endurance” to conclude as many negotiations as possible in interinstitutional meetings, according to the MEP. “In times of crisis, we cannot afford to lose any time in the Green transition and in turning our economy into a fully circular one”, she insisted.
Numerous initiatives on the part of the European Commission
There are many initiatives on the part of the European Commission for the first half of the year. In addition to the initiatives already mentioned, others include: - a proposal on digital labelling of fertilising products; - a revision of the Detergent Regulation; - a revision of the Toys Safety Directive; - a revision of the Cosmetics Regulation; - a proposal to introduce unified supplementary protection certificates; - an initiative on compulsory licensing of patents; - new standards on essential patents; - an Asbestos Directive; - an initiative on access to vehicle data, functions and resources; - and finally, an EU Toolbox against counterfeiting.
To access the Presidency’s programme: https://aeur.eu/f/4p5
For the latest version of the Swedish Presidency calendar: https://aeur.eu/f/4rn (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)