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Press material Thursday 4 May 2023

● Council of the EU   04/05/2023 11:32 | Press release | European Peace Facility: Council adopts assistance measures to support the defence sector of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia   Today the Council adopted two assistance measures under the European Peace Facility (EPF) in support of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova and the Georgian Defence Forces to enhance national security, stability and resilience in the defence sector of both countries. "With these new assistances, we continue to support the modernisation of the capacities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova and the Georgian Defence Forces. In a challenging geopolitical context and in line with their European aspirations, we are helping to strengthen their defence sectors and enhance their ability to participate in EU military missions and operations. This is the third assistance package for both countries under the EPF, clearly underlining the EU’s unwavering commitment to the region’s security and stability." Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Building on previous EPF support, the latest assistance measures will contribute to enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova and the Georgian Defence Forces, and accelerate their compliance with EU standards and interoperability, thereby allowing for better protection of civilians during crises and emergencies. The measures are also aimed at strengthening the Moldovan and Georgian capacities with respect to their participation in EU military missions and operations in third countries. Republic of Moldova The adopted assistance measure is worth €40 million over a period of 36 months and will finance non-lethal equipment, supplies and services, to the units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova including technical training, where requested. The approved equipment includes air surveillance, mobility and transportation, logistics, command and control, and cyber-defence equipment. The assistance measure was requested by the Republic of Moldova on 6 February 2023, and complements the €40 million assistance measure adopted in June 2022 and the €7 million one adopted in December 2021. Georgia The €30 million assistance measure adopted today will cover a period of 36 months, and finance non-lethal equipment, supplies and services, to the units of the Georgian Defence Forces, including technical training where requested. The approved equipment includes engineering, command and control, medical, logistics and cyber-defence equipment The assistance was requested by Georgia on 8 February 2023, and complements the €20 million assistance measure adopted in D

Press material Wednesday 3 May 2023

● Council of the EU   03/05/2023 15:29 | Press release | Empowering consumers for the green transition: Council adopts its position   Today the Council has adopted its position ('negotiating mandate') on the proposed directive to empower consumers for the green transition, which aims at enhancing consumers´ rights by amending the unfair commercial practices directive (UCPD) and the consumer rights directive (CRD). The Council position reinforces consumer rights, bans generic environmental claims, and introduces a European Union harmonised graphic format, to help consumers recognise commercial guarantees of durability. "The green transition is a collective effort, and the role of consumers’ behaviour will be paramount. We want to be sure that consumers are equipped to play that role with reliable information, protection against misleading advertisement, and easier ways to recycle or repair." Erik Slottner, Swedish Minister for Public Administration Protecting against unfair practices While many consumers want to contribute to the circular economy by buying more sustainable products, they are often confronted with unfair commercial practices, like misleading ‘green’ claims, or products that either break earlier than expected or that are too difficult or expensive to repair. Addressing these problems, the Council position reinforces consumers’ right to information, enabling them to be active players in the green transition. In the approved negotiating mandate, the Council proposes banning generic environmental claims such as ‘eco-friendly’, ‘green’, or ‘climate neutral’. Producers would no longer be allowed to advertise their products, processes, or businesses in such general terms if the claims cannot be substantiated by a publicly accessible certification scheme. To enable better comparison of products and reduce consumer confusion, only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or registered as certification marks or established by public authorities would be allowed in the future. These measures are related to information on the durability and reparability of the product, or the methods used by traders to compare the sustainability of the products they sell. The Commission proposal expands the annex to the unfair commercial practices directive listing commercial practices that will be banned in all circumstances, referred to as the ‘blacklist’. It is considered as unfair commercial practice for traders not to inform consumers when a good has a limited lifespan or contains a feature introduced to limit its durability. Consumers should also be warned if the good is designed not to be compatible with consumables, spare parts or accessories provided by third-party producers. It will also be prohibited to present goods as allowing repair when they do not. Enforcing consumer rights In the amendments to the consumer rights directive, the Commission’s proposal introduced a commercial guarantee of durability for producers. That is a commitment from the producer that the good will maintain certain functions or performances during an indicated period. The Council proposes the creation of a harmonised graphic format to clearly inform consumers about such guarantees of durability for specific goods. This will provide a single visual logo for consumers in the internal market to identify goods that are covered by these guarantees. The compromise text also obliges traders to provide the right of information for products containing digital elements. For instance, for products where software updates are provided, consumers should be informed for how long they may benefit from these updates. Transposition To allow member states sufficient time to adapt the changes in the legislation, the Council position extends the transposition period from 18 to 24 months.

Press material Tuesday 2 May 2023

● Council of the EU   02/05/2023 22:29 | Press release | Council and Parliament strike provisional deal to protect geographical indications for craft and industrial products   The Council and the European Parliament reached today a provisional deal on the regulation for geographical indication protection for craft and industrial products. Once this regulation is finally approved, geographical indications (GIs), which up to now were used mainly for foods and beverages, will be enlarged to industrial products whose qualities are essentially linked to the area of production, such as Bohemian glass, Limoges porcelain or Solingen cutlery. Importance of GI rules The EU currently has specific GI protection rules for wines, spirit drinks, foodstuffs, and other agricultural products. Champagne and Prosciutto di Parma are well-known examples of agricultural GIs. However, there is currently no EU-wide GI protection for craft and industrial goods. This regulation aims to establish directly applicable GI protection for craft and industrial products (such as jewellery, textiles, glass, porcelain, etc.) at EU level, complementing the existing EU protection for GIs in the agricultural domain. GI protection for such products will lead to more innovation and investment in crafts by helping artisans and producers, particularly SMEs, to promote and protect their traditional know-how at EU level in compliance with EU competition rules. Main points of the agreement The political agreement reached today with the Parliament: guarantees the coherence with GI protection rules for agricultural products by applying the concept of ‘protected geographical indications’ (so-called ‘PGIs’), which ensures that geographical indications are attractive for producers maintaining a strong link between the product’s characteristics and its geographical origin provides for efficient control and verification procedures for the protection of GIs with a system based on self-declaration as the default procedure that member states reinforce with controls ensures that the protection of craft and industrial GIs also applies to the domain name space and the online environment facilitates procedures for the registration of GIs, in particular for SMEs, while ensuring a high level of legal protection with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) playing an important role on the registration procedures for craft and industrial GIs

Press material Tuesday 2 May 2023

● Council of the EU   02/05/2023 12:04 | Press release | World Press Freedom Day: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union   “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. Laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago, the protection of freedom of expression remains a key priority for EU human rights action. This year we join UNESCO in emphasizing that, today more than ever, freedom of expression is crucial for all other human rights and contributes decisively to ‘Shaping a Future of Rights’. While the preservation of free, independent and pluralistic media is vital for resilient and healthy democracies, press freedom is at stake in most parts of the world today. Journalists, media workers and all those who bring independent quality information to the public, shed light on the gross human rights violations and atrocities and hold those in power to account increasingly face discredit, threats and attacks, including through disinformation. Reporters in an attacked Ukraine, journalists in Belarus and Afghanistan, independent media in the Middle East and North Africa, local journalists in Central America, the Nobel Prize laureates in the Philippines and Russia and many other media workers worldwide, including in Europe, continue to pay a high price for exercising their profession. Women journalists are particularly vulnerable to threats and increasing attacks, both offline and online. They are exposed to stigmatization, sexist hate speech, trolling, sexual and gender-based violence and even murder. 73% of women journalists have experienced online threats, abuse and harassment in the course of their work. We have never seen as many women journalists in detention as today. As a staunch defender of the right to freedom of expression, the EU condemn all forms of threats and violence against journalists and support media workers in danger through local missions and via dedicated programmes, such as the Safejournalists platform in the Western Balkans, the Support to independent media and fundamental freedoms project in Cambodia and the Media Resilience programme in Afghanistan. In parallel, the EU is taking action within the Union: countering Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), regulating digital services and markets, and proposing an EU Media Freedom Act. Simultaneously, we are building up critical capacity to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, and to help citizens in Europe strengthen their resilience to disinformation, manipulation and propaganda, with initiatives such as the EUvsDisinfo platform and the European Digital Media Observatory. Defending and promoting press freedom is a universal mission that knows no borders. The EU will remain committed to engage with governments, the media and civil society, both in international fora as well as at the local level, to take initiative and strengthen press freedom around the world.

12/05/2023 00:00 | Event Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich Reminder: Last day to send in your accreditation application for the Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich is 2 May.

Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich


Informal ministerial meeting

12 - 13 May 2023
Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich

Practical information

Date

12 - 13 May 2023

Place

Scandinavian XPO

Location

Stockholm, Sweden


On 12 May, EU foreign ministers will gather for the Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers (Gymnich). They will discuss current foreign and security policy issues.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström will host the meeting, which will be chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

Last day to send in your accreditation application for the Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich is 5 May.

Media accreditation

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Gymnich - media handbook
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Preliminary programme - media information
Friday 12 May10:45 Handshake and doorstep
14:00 Family Photo
19.00 Press conference

02/05/2023 12:00 | Speech Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's opening remarks at the Single Market Forum (SIMFO) Stockholm, Sweden 2 May 2023. Check against delivery.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's opening remarks at the Single Market Forum (SIMFO)


Speech

2 May 202312:00
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's opening remarks at the Single Market Forum (SIMFO)
© Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices


Stockholm, Sweden 2 May 2023. Check against delivery.


Thank you,

Commissioner, Parliamentarians, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to see you all this morning – and to welcome those of you coming from abroad to Stockholm. It´s an honour for the Swedish government to host the Single Market Forum in Sweden. And as you know, an even more competitive single market is one of the three key priorities for our EU Presidency. For a greener, safer and freer Europe as we often summarize it.

As the single market turns 30, it has become an integral part of everyday life – for citizens and businesses alike. And thereby easily taken for granted. We were all reminded of its fragility during the pandemic – with sudden closures of national borders. Orders and payments did not reach its destination. Thanks not least to the European Commission – the integrity of the internal market was re-established.

Today, we understand the importance of a market that works also during a crisis. Maintaining free movement is a cornerstone of European resilience.

The EU has more than once demonstrated its crisis management capabilities. But while crisis management skills are necessary, they are not sufficient to build long term success and prosperity in Europe.

Free competition, freedom for people and ideas, are indeed European inventions. And today’s meeting provides an opportunity – not merely to celebrate these successes, but to look ahead towards the next 30 years. How can we adapt and improve the Single Market to continue to deliver under new preconditions and new realities – in terms of technology as well as in terms of geopolitics?

In this respect, today’s conference highlights several important aspects, such as how to promote the twin transitions through developing Single Market structures in key areas such as digitalization, standardisation, and re-skilling.

With the objective of a Single European Market present already in the Treaty of Rome, the vision of “realising a real single market” was established in the mid-1980s with the Commission’s white paper on the Single Market based on mutual recognition. But the big breakthrough came with the Maastricht Treaty in 1993.

Today the Single Market is a crucial element for EU cooperation. It has transformed Europe. Goods are flowing, and increasingly also services. Very many EU citizens move and work across the continent.

This economic integration creates jobs – and an estimated 9 percent GDP increase. The rules governing the Internal Market have many times become also international standards, reinforcing the EU’s role as a global norm setter.

Over three decades, the internal market has improved European competitiveness. Companies also from small countries or small domestic markets have become strong and ready to meet fierce competition on the global scene.

For Sweden, trade is since long the engine of our economy, supporting private and public consumption and our welfare state as such. Our companies have access to the world’s largest single market and our consumers benefit from safe and high-quality products and services.

But let´s return to COVID-19 and its effects on supply chains. We have since also faced an energy crisis, high inflation, and decreased purchasing power in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The lessons that we have learned include that the Single Market should go beyond its “traditional objectives” of creating growth, jobs and benefits for citizens and consumers. The Single Market must also become our main source of resilience.

It´s in this context we should tackle the reality that Europe’s competitiveness now faces important challenges. The EU’s real GDP has grown slightly more than one percent a year over the last ten years, while India’s and China’s GDP grew by 6 and 8 percent respectively. During the same timeframe the EU’s share of global GDP has fallen from 21 to 17 percent. The US has gone from 21 to 24 percent, and the Chinese from around 10 per cent to some 18.

Fact is that the EU is falling behind Asia and the United States in key economic areas. Not least with the global tech industry centred on the US west coast and the Chinese east coast.

Between 2014 and 2019, European firms grew on average 40 per cent more slowly than their US peers. Even more worrying is the fact that they invested 40 per cent less in R&D. I´m quite convinced there is a correlation.

This is the situation and that´s why my government made it a priority to put European competitiveness at the top of the agenda during the Swedish EU Presidency.

In March, the Commission responded to the European Councils request for a strategy for long-term competitiveness. The same month, we agreed in the Council on an important set of conclusions to address EU’s long-term competitiveness. A robust platform for taking on long-term challenges, byFirst, creating a predictable and innovation-friendly regulatory framework for growth and productivity,
Second, increasing investments in Research & Development and,
Third, deepening and strengthening the Single Market, including the digital single market – by creating the right environment for digital networks and services. And better access for consumers and businesses to online goods and services across Europe.

Artificial intelligence will be key to increasing efficiency, productivity and creativity. However, there are challenges and many unknowns, as in most new technologies. The development, possibilities and dangers, are exponential, while our laws, structures and policies rarely are as dynamic. Regulation is needed, but should be narrowly focused, not to mitigate innovation or progress. And here, I would promote transatlantic approaches – not an isolated European “strategic autonomy” – to reach global standards and universal norms.

This is a direction to follow to close the growth and innovation gap between Europe and our global competitors. And to boost our productivity and competitiveness.

These discussions will of course continue – including at this important event.

But at the same time, the Swedish Presidency is pressing ahead on the law making agenda and we have led the way to some key achievements on Single Market related dossiers.

Last month the Council and the Parliament reached a provisional deal on the Chips Act, an important piece of legislation that will support the green and digital transition while strengthening EU resilience in turbulent times.

We have also achieved an agreement in the Council on the Short-term rental proposal and made progress on Ecodesign of products and the Single Market Emergency Instrument.

We will continue to push negotiations forward before we hand over the Presidency to our Spanish friends in the end of June.

We are around 200 people here today, from all Member States and representing numerous organisations. It is an excellent basis for exploring the future of the Single Market, inside and out, viewing it from different angles and together finding inspiration, ideas, and solutions to common challenges.

I am confident that your discussions here today will contribute to the important work of making sure that the Single Market remains the economic crown jewel of the European project. We need it as a source of strength for consumers and companies as well as a safeguard for our resilience and global competitiveness in the coming decades.

Let us take this opportunity to work together to improve the Single Market and make it fit for at least the next 30 years, contributing to the big transitions and underpinning a strong European presence in the global economy.

Thanks for your attention!

More informationSingle Market Forum (SIMFO) 2/5
Live: Single Market Forum 2023

02/05/2023 15:30 | Press release 30th anniversary of EU single market during Swedish Presidency On 2 May, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission organised the Single Market Forum (SIMFO) to mark the 30th anniversary of the EU single market.

30th anniversary of EU single market during Swedish Presidency


Press release

2 May 202315:30
30th anniversary of EU single market during Swedish Presidency


Johan Forssell, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.© Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices


On 2 May, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission organised the Single Market Forum (SIMFO) to mark the 30th anniversary of the EU single market.


Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell and European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton co-hosted the conference. The future of the single market was discussed, with a focus on the digital single market, standardisation and skills supply.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson opened the conference by emphasising the importance of the EU single market for growth and job creation in the EU. A high-level panel discussed what can be done now and in the long term to improve the functioning of the single market. The panel also discussed what the EU single market has achieved in its first 30 years and emphasised the importance of long-term competitiveness for continued success.

The EU single market has come a long way in stimulating growth and making life easier for citizens, companies and consumers in the EU. Still, challenges remain, particularly in the services sector, which is an increasingly important part of the global economy.Johan ForssellMinister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade

Issues discussed during the conference included the future of the single market, with a focus on the digital single market, standardisation and skills supply. The business sector, trade organisations, representatives from the EU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Member States and other actors gave their views on how the single market can be improved.

Read moreSingle Market Forum (SIMFO)