Tag: EU
EU Reaches Political Agreement on Groundbreaking New Rules for Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Impacting US Companies
On 14 December 2023, the European Union (EU) announced that it had reached political agreement on the new Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD or CS3D). Once adopted, the CSDDD will create new and far-reaching mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence obligations for EU and non-EU companies operating in the EU.
Provisional Agreement Reached on Groundbreaking New Products Law: EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
Provisional agreement on the text of the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation was reached by the European Union institutions on 4 December 2023. The ESPR will introduce a new, broad ecodesign framework that will empower the European Commission to adopt far-reaching sustainability requirements for product groups. It also will create new transparency requirements for products in the form of an EU ‘digital product passport’ and will ban the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear.
Provisional Agreement Reached on Proposed EU Cyber Resilience Act
Emma Bichet and Tracey Bischofberger
Provisional agreement on the text of the proposed new European Union Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) was reached by the EU institutions on 30 November 2023. The first regulation of its kind, the CRA seeks to impose new cybersecurity requirements, as well as requirements for conformity assessment and CE marking to demonstrate compliance with the new requirements, together with recall and reporting obligations, on ‘products with digital elements’. This is a broad concept that covers connected products, software and certain types of data processing.
EU Changes CSRD Thresholds to Reduce Sustainability Reporting Burden
In January 2023, the European Union adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires EU and non-EU companies meeting certain thresholds to file annual sustainability reports alongside their financial statements. On 17 October 2023, the European Commission adopted an amendment to the thresholds in the Accounting Directive, impacting which entities will need to file CSRD-compliant reports.
EU Advocate General Argues That Harmonized Technical Standards Must Be Freely Available
In a case brought by two nonprofit organisations against the judgment of the EU General Court (the EU junior court) upholding the European Commission’s decision refusing to grant access to four harmonized technical standards (HTS), the Advocate General (AG) argued that the Court of Justice of the European Union (the EU senior court) should annul the General Court’s judgment and the European Commission’s decision and order the European Commission to grant the two nonprofit organisations access to the standards.
EU Adopts Restriction of Intentionally Added Microplastics
Emma Bichet and Selma Abdel-Qader
On 25 September 2023, one year after the publication of the proposal, the European Commission adopted the restriction of intentionally added microplastics under the European Union Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation 1907/2006, the EU framework for regulating chemicals
EU Introduces New Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
Juan Nascimbene, Emma-Bichet, Fergal Duggan and
Emerald Hockley
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a European Union regulation which has been introduced to reduce carbon emissions produced by manufactured goods imported from jurisdictions with less stringent carbon emissions regulations.
PFAS – Navigating Diverging Regulatory Approaches and Liability Risks in the EU, UK and US
Join the Cooley international products and business litigation teams for a 45-minute, rapid-fire webinar to discuss the latest EU proposal to restrict PFAS, ongoing initiatives to regulate PFAS in the UK and US, and associated liability risks for product stakeholders.
EU Puts Red Light on Greenwashing: Agreement Reached on New Laws Targeting Greenwashing
This week, the European Council and Parliament reached provisional agreement on a new European Union (EU) directive to ‘empower consumers for the green transition’.
WEBINAR: European Commission Briefing on the New General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
This webinar is brought to you by the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) and the European Commission’s Product Safety Unit.