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Press material Tuesday 29 November 2022

● Council of the EU   29/11/2022 00:52 | Press release | Council and European Parliament agree on new product safety rules   The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the general product safety regulation (GPSR). This regulation updates the current rules to ensure that products sold both offline and online are safe and live up to European standards. "This regulation will help to reduce the number of dangerous products sold both offline and online in the EU market, including in online marketplaces. Consumers will be better protected and will also be entitled to a refund or replacement if they have purchased an unsafe product." Jozef Síkela, Czech minister for industry and trade All products traded in the EU are subject to general safety requirements. However, to keep up with challenges linked to digitalisation and the increasing amount of goods and products sold online, the general product safety rules in force are no longer suited to addressing current digital and technological developments and challenges. The GPSR therefore transforms the general product safety directive from 2001 into a regulation, modernises the rules for all economic operators (manufacturers, importers and distributers) and updates them for online businesses and online marketplaces. Transforming the directive into a regulation will ensure a sound legal framework to guarantee that products are safe and follow European standards. Buying safe products online The GPSR links product safety challenges to new technologies and to online marketplaces. Online marketplaces will have to co-operate with market surveillance authorities if they detect a dangerous product on their platform. For that purpose, they would be required to establish a single point of contact in charge of product safety. Online marketplaces will have to ensure they know the traders who operate on their platforms and the products they offer. Market surveillance authorities will be able to issue orders requiring online marketplaces to remove dangerous products from their platforms or to disable access to such offers. The GPSR also creates a single market surveillance regime that applies to all products. Better consumer protection If a product has proven to be unsafe, economic operators are required to immediately adopt corrective measures and inform market surveillance authorities and consumers accordingly. If a product has to be recalled, consumers will be entitled to repair, replacement or a refund. When possible, economic operators have to make sure that consumers can choose from at least two of these options. Responsible person The new rules ensure that economic operators have a responsible person for products sold online and offline, whether they originate from the EU or from a third country. The responsible person will be in charge of checking that technical documentation exists for the products that they are responsible for offered by the economic operator and that products are accompanied by instructions and safety information. Following the formal adoption of the regulation and its entry into force, member states will have 18 months to apply the new rules on general product safety.

Meetings Tuesday 29 November 2022

● Council of the EU   29/11/2022 12:00 | MEETING | Agenda highlights - Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 1 December 2022   Ministers responsible for the internal market and industry will meet in Brussels and aim to adopt a Council position on the Chips Act, the directive on corporate sustainability due diligence and the regulation on geographical indication protection for crafts and industrial products.

Council of the EU
Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 1 December 2022

Live streaming
Live streaming


1 December 2022TBC Arrivals
09:40 Public session (Internal Market/Industry)
12:45 Public session (Internal Market/Industry)
15:00 Public session (Internal Market/Industry)
TBC Press conference



Estimated schedule
Agenda highlights
Internal market and industry
Chips Act

Ministers are expected to adopt a general approach on the Chips Act.

Chips are essential for a wide range of technological and digital products, such as cars, household appliances and electronics. Due to geostrategic issues and value chain disruptions, European industries are currently facing challenges in the supply of semiconductors.

To overcome these challenges, the European Commission presented the Chips Act on 8 February 2022. The package aims to reduce the EU’s vulnerabilities and dependencies on foreign actors. It aims to improve the EU’s security of supply, resilience and technological sovereignty in the field of semiconductor applications and technologies.EU industrial policy (background information)
Corporate sustainability due diligence

Ministers will aim to reach a general approach on the directive on corporate sustainability due diligence (CSDD). The CSDD proposal introduces an obligation on companies to identify and prevent, end or mitigate the impact of their activities on human rights and the environment.
Geographical indications for crafts and industrial products

Ministers are expected to adopt a general approach on the regulation on geographical indication protection (GI) for craft and industrial products. Geographical indications establish intellectual property rights protection for specific products, whose qualities are essentially linked to the area of production.

The EU has specific GI protection for wines, spirit drinks and other agricultural products and foodstuffs. Champagne or Prosciutto di Parma are well-known examples of agricultural GIs. However, so far there has been no GI protection at EU level for craft and industrial products (such as jewelry, textiles, glass or porcelain). The proposed regulation aims to close this gap.
Also on the agenda

Ministers are also invited to adopt conclusions on the European Agenda for Tourism and will discuss the directive on empowering consumers for the green transition and the ecodesign for sustainable products regulation (ESPR).

Other items on the agenda include a presentation by the European Commission on the Single Market Enforcement Taskforce report and on the 2022 report on the SME Envoy Network. The Swedish delegation will inform the ministers about the programme with a view to their upcoming presidency.


Meeting information

Meeting n°3915
Brussels
1 December 2022
09:30
Preparatory documentsBackground brief
Provisional list of A items, non-legislative activities
Provisional agenda

Meetings Tuesday 29 November 2022

● Council of the EU   29/11/2022 12:00 | MEETING | Agenda highlights - Competitiveness Council (Research and space), 2 December 2022   Ministers responsible for research and space will meet to discuss research infrastructures and the New European Innovation Agenda. EU space data exploitation will also be on the agenda.

Council of the EU
Competitiveness Council (Research and space), 2 December 2022

Live streaming
Live streaming


2 December 2022TBC Arrivals
10:10 Public session (Research)
13:20 Press conference (Research)
15:00 Public session (Space)
17:00 Press conference (Research/Space)

Estimated schedule
Agenda highlights
Research

On Friday morning, ministers will discuss research related matters.

Ministers responsible for research are expected to adopt conclusions on research infrastructures and on the New European Innovation Agenda, and will aim to adopt a Council recommendation on the guiding principles for knowledge valorisation.

Ministers will also hold a policy debate entitled 'science as an instrument to facilitate policy making in the member states'.
Also on the agenda

Other items on the agenda include an information point by the Spanish delegation on 'PRIMA', the partnership for research and innovation in the Mediterranean Area. The European Commission will inform ministers about the past, present and future of the European research & innovation framework programme and on the ‘New EIT Culture and Creativity KIC’. The Swedish delegation will inform the ministers about the programme for their upcoming presidency.


Infographic - EU in spaceSee full infographic
Space

On Friday afternoon, ministers responsible for space will hold a policy debate on EU space data exploitation.

The Swedish delegation will inform the ministers about the programme for their upcoming presidency.EU space policy (background information)


Meeting information

Brussels
2 December 2022
Preparatory documentsBackground brief
Provisional agenda
Provisional list of A items

Library blog Tuesday 29 November 2022

● General Secretariat of the Council   New books added to the Council Library's collection - November 2022   Discover our selection of books recently added to the Council Library collection

New books added to the Council Library's collection - November 2022

• 29 November 2022
 
• New books
 
• gsclibrary

Foreign affairs & international relations Security & defence International trade & customs Economy & finance Environment Institutional affairs Asia United States EU member states Africa Eastern Europe and Central Asia

 

Discover our selection of books recently added to the Council Library collection. To get a fuller view, please consult the list in Eureka, the online catalogue of the Council libraries.

• New books November 2022

Highlights:

• Where great powers meet : America & China in Southeast Asia

"In assessing the likelihood of a regional power transition, the book looks at how ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the countries within it maneuver between the United States and China and the degree to which they align with one or the other power."

• The politics of the sustainable development goals : legitimacy, responsibility, and accountability

"This book draws attention to political aspects of sustainable development goal-setting, exploring the Sustainable Development Goals at the global-national nexus during their first five years."

• The EU security continuum : blurring internal and external security

"This book examines how internal and external security are blurring at the EU level, and the implications this has for EU security governance and the EU as a security actor."

• Putin's Russia

"Leading scholars explore the domestic and international problems Russia confronts, including political, economic, societal, and foreign policy issues."

• Géopolitique de la Russie

"À l’heure où tous les regards sont braqués sur Vladimir Poutine et les conséquences de l’invasion de l’Ukraine par les forces militaires russes, la compréhension de la géopolitique de la Russie est plus que jamais nécessaire."

• National constitutions and EU integration

"Do individual constitutions, and the legal cultures underlying them, pose an obstacle to future EU integration?"

The publications mentioned in this post do not necessarily represent the positions, policies, or opinions of the Council of the European Union or the European Council.

The Council Library is open on working days from 12.30 to 15.30. You can reach the Info Desk by email (library@consilium.europa.eu).