COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Wednesday 6 December 2023

● Council of the EU   06/12/2023 10:10 | Media advisory | Press briefing ahead of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 8 December 2023   The press briefing ahead of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council will take place on Thursday, 7 December 2023 at 13.15. This briefing will be "off the record". The press briefing will take place in a hybrid format: EU accredited journalists will be able to participate and ask questions either remotely or in person at the Europa building press room. To attend the event remotely, please use this link to register and have the possibility to ask questions. Those who already registered for previous press events of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Thursday, 7 December 2023 at 11.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline. Press material Tuesday 5 December 2023   ● Council of the EU   05/12/2023 23:42 | Press release | Council and Parliament strike provisional deal on design protection package   The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional deal on the revision of the two legislative proposals of the designs package: the directive for the legal protection of designs and the regulation on Community designs. The new texts update the 20-year-old design legislation, aiming to facilitate the protection of industrial designs and adapt EU law in this area to the challenges of a digital and 3D-printing world. The provisional agreement liberalises the spare parts market, establishes the fees to be paid in order to register and renew an EU design, prevents cultural heritage from being registered as design and sets the transposition period for the directive and the review period for the regulation. "Good design is very often what makes consumers choose a car, a chair, a lamp or any other product. Great designers have made our products favourite choices worldwide, but the intellectual property of good design needs to be protected against copies and counterfeiting. The agreement reached today will make it easier, cheaper and faster for designers to protect their creations, even in digital times." Jordi Hereu i Boher, Spanish Minister for Industry and Tourism Commission proposal An industrial design constitutes the external appearance of a product. The visual appeal created by a design is one of the key factors influencing a consumer’s preference for one product over another. Good design is an important competitive advantage for producers and adds value to the product. However, designs need to be protected against copies or imitations. The directive and regulation agreed on today update the current legislation from 2002, making it easier to register designs at EU level and ensuring that European and national procedures are harmonised. It also introduces a ‘repair clause’ with new rules regarding exceptions from design protection for spare parts used for repair of complex products, such as cars. Main elements of the agreement The provisional agreement reached today between the two co-legislators frames the scope of the directive, clarifies the rules of the ‘repair clause’, sets the fees for registering a design and adjusts the transposition period for the directive on design protection. Repair clause The provisional agreement clarifies the conditions of the ‘repair clause’. This clause excludes from design protection the replacement parts for a complex product that are used to restore its original appearance but only for repair purposes and if the replacement part looks exactly like the original piece (i.e. a damaged door, or a broken light of a car that should be replaced to make the car look as it was). This clause is intended to liberalise the spare parts market and ensure that more accessible spare parts for repair are available to consumers across the EU. This may create between € 340-544 million in savings for consumers over 10 years. The text agreed on today keeps a balance between the interests of consumers, design holders, and the replacement-parts industry. The agreement adds the ‘repair clause’ to the directive on the legal protection of designs (it was previously included only in the regulation on designs), so there is an alignment between the European designs system (regulation) and the national ones (directive). The agreement lays down a harmonised transitional period of 8 years for the repair clause. Fees and office services To ensure the viable co-existence of national and EU design protection systems, the provisional agreement increases EU-wide fees, which will be higher compared with national-only protection schemes, to reflect the larger territorial scope of the EU-wide design protection. Offices will have the duty to warn designers when the expiry date of their design rights is approaching. Cultural heritage The agreement forbids that cultural heritage elements of national interest (for instance the traditional costume of a region) could be protected as private designs. To frame the limits of this disposition, the co-legislators agreed on using the UNESCO definition of ‘cultural heritage’. Transposition period Finally, the co-legislators have agreed that member states will have a period of 36 months to take the necessary measures to transpose the directive for the legal protection of designs. The regulation on EU designs will be applicable throughout the EU once it comes into force. Next steps The provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions. Background Design-intensive industries represent almost 16% of GDP and 14% of all jobs in the EU. On 10 November 2020, the Council called on the Commission to present proposals to modernise the EU’s design protection system, which was almost 20 years old. On 28 November 2022, the Commission published a package of measures with two proposals: a regulation amending Council regulation (EC) no 6/2002 on Community designs and a directive on the legal protection of designs (recast of directive 98/71/EC). The Council adopted its position on 25 September 2023. Intellectual property: Council adopts two positions on designs protection legislation (press release, 25 September 2023) General approach directive on the legal protection of designs (recast) General approach on regulation amending Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on Community designs and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 2246/2002 Commission’s proposal on Community Designs regulation Press material Tuesday 5 December 2023   ● Council of the EU   05/12/2023 21:34 | Press release | EUBAM Libya: Jan Vyčítal appointed as new Head of Mission   Today, Jan Vyčítal was appointed as Head of Mission of the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya. He will succeed Natalina Cea as of 1 January 2024, and his mandate will run until 30 June 2025. Jan Vyčítal is a Czech civil servant and diplomat, who has worked at senior level for more than 20 years, and currently serves as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Tunisia, with accreditation for Libya. He previously served as Czech Ambassador to Iraq and to Libya. EUBAM Libya was launched in May 2013. The mission contributes to enhancing the capacity of the relevant Libyan authorities and agencies in the management of Libya’s borders; fighting cross-border crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling; and countering terrorism. In carrying out its tasks, EUBAM Libya provides technical advice, and capacity-building activities at the operational and technical levels, including projects and specialised training. Furthermore, the mission provides strategic advice where requested by the Libyan authorities. On 26 June 2023, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2023/1305, extending the mandate of EUBAM Libya until 30 June 2025. Today's decision was taken by the Political and Security Committee. Jan Vyčítal Curriculum Vitae EUBAM Libya (external website) Delegation of the European Union to Libya (external website)

Press material Tuesday 5 December 2023

● Council of the EU   05/12/2023 18:29 | Press release | Safer chemicals: Council and Parliament strike deal on the regulation for classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances   The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the regulation for the classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals (CLP regulation). This regulation updates the existing 2008 EU legislation and aims to clarify the rules on labelling chemical substances and the required information for chemicals sold online. The provisional agreement adapts the CLP regulation to different forms of trade (such as online trade or trade in refill products), promotes the circularity of the chemical products, makes labels clearer and easier to understand (including digital labelling), and ensures a high level of protection against chemical hazards. "The revision of the CLP regulation will bring digital and circular economy to the chemicals sector. With the new rules consumers will have all the necessary information both in paper and digital format, regardless of whether they buy them in shops, in bulk or online." Jordi Hereu i Boher, Spanish Minister for Industry and Tourism Clearer information on chemical hazards The popularising of new commercial trends (such as online shopping, or re-use of containers to buy in bulk) together with the emergence of new hazards linked to the use of chemical products (e.g. the presence of endocrine disruptors or the long life of certain substances) required an update to the existing 2008 regulation. The proposed regulation is aimed at increasing protection of human health and the environment coupled with easier access to up-to-date information on chemicals hazards and simplified labelling rules. The proposed regulation also introduces other measures, including: better and faster processes for all actors to provide information on hazards of chemicals placed on the EU market communication of chemical hazards, including online, through simpler and clearer labelling and advertising requirements (i.e. a minimal font size for labels of chemicals) new powers for the Commission (in addition to member states and industry) to accelerate the procedure for identifying hazardous substances and make the necessary classification proposals specific rules for refillable chemical products, so consumers can safely buy and use chemical products, such as home care chemicals, sold in bulk Main elements of the agreement For substances with more-than-one constituent (MOCS) the provisional agreement includes a 5 year derogation for MOCS of plant or plant parts which are not chemically modified. After this time, the Commission may propose new legislation for those products based on scientific report. Other MOCS, like petrochemicals, will be under the scope of the regulation. The provisional agreement reached today by the co-legislators, sets out the scope of the regulation for harmonised classification of substances in all physical states. The compromise clarifies that the regulation also applies to online sales, including purchases in digital marketplaces. The compromise text requires that most chemical products bear a physical label while the digital label may also be an option for suppliers. It also introduces measures to make the labels clearer and easier to read in particular for people with sight difficulties. For certain products, the supplier can provide digital-only data, although a consumer can always request a physical copy of the product information. For products purchased in refill stations, the provisional agreement aims to reduce the associated risks (overfilling, contamination, operation by children, etc.). Finally, the provisional agreement aligns different provisions concerning new hazard classes to avoid duplication with ongoing assessments that are currently conducted under different legislation. Background The revision of the CLP, alongside the planned revision of the REACH Regulation, is an important element of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, which is a key building block of the European Green Deal. The Commission proposal was presented on 19 December 2022 and the Council reached mandate to start negotiations with European Parliament on 30 June 2023. Next steps The provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions. Negotiating mandate Commission’s proposal Council approves conclusions on the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (press release, 15 March 2021) Chemicals (background information)

Meetings Tuesday 5 December 2023

● Council of the EU   05/12/2023 18:33 | MEETING | Justice and Home Affairs Council, 4-5 December 2023   At the meeting of home affairs ministers, the presidency presented a progress report on all the legislative files of the Pact on asylum and migration. Ministers also received a state of play of the external dimension of migration and the full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. The impact of the crisis in the Middle East and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on the EU’s internal security were also on the agenda.

Press material Tuesday 5 December 2023

● Council of the EU   05/12/2023 17:46 | Press release | Council addresses situation of people suffering from both drug use and other mental health disorders   The Council approved conclusions on people having drug use disorders that co-occur with other mental health disorders. The Council invites member states to consider drug use disorders (DUDs) co-occuring with other mental health disorders as an important challenge for drug and mental health services and policies, a challenge that requires a multidisciplinary and comprehensive response to the needs of people with these disorders. "We know that there is a direct relationship between drug use and mental health, we also know that the presence of a mental health disorder can end up leading to the consumption of certain substances, so it is essential, when we talk about dual disorder, that the health response is comprehensive and multidisciplinary" Mónica García Gómez, Spanish Minister for Health Comprehensive policy approaches The conclusions propose the adoption of health, mental health and drug policies that develop responses to the needs of people with DUDs and other mental health disorders and pay particular attention to groups in vulnerable situations. In this sense member states, the Commission and other relevant players should aim to develop personalised interventions adjusted to the special needs of individuals and to their specific individual and social factors as well as comorbidity. Dual disorder According to the WHO, the United National Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the association between drug use/drug use disorders and other mental health disorders should be assumed as standard rather than deemed an exception. Dual disorders or psychiatric comorbidities are associated with a wide range of negative consequences such as higher rates of emergency admissions, more psychiatric hospitalisations, higher risk of drug use relapse and increased likelihood of suicide, overdose and premature deaths. Treatment The conclusions also highlight the importance of paying particular attention to the availability and accessibility of adequate and effective treatment for people having both DUDs and other mental health disorders. Treatment should happen regardless of the point of entry into the health and care system and be based on effective coordination between the services. Member states, Commission and other EU agencies and bodies are also encouraged to provide institutional and financial support in order to develop appropriate responses to the needs of people with DUDs and other co-occurring mental health disorders. Research and reliable data While dual disorders are prevalent in EU member states, the available data on their prevalence are still limited and heterogeneous. The conclusions call for the development of reliable and comparable indicators across countries. This is seen as essential to adequately monitor the situation and to facilitate the diagnosis of dual diagnosis of dual disorder. It is for the same reason that research into the different aspects of DUDs and other mental health disorders should be prioritised and supported. This would help identifying equivalent definitions and measurement methods/tools as well as research on best practices allowing professionals to implement them adequately. Background According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), up to 80% of patients in certain groups of drug treatment have mental health issues. Today’s Council conclusions build on and support related objectives and priorities of the EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 and the EU Drugs Action Plan 2021-2025, aiming to protect and improve the well-being of society and the individual, protect and promote public health, offer a high level of security and well-being for the general public, increase health literacy, and identify the implementation of appropriate models of treatment and care for groups with special needs as a strategic priority area. A Commission communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health, published on 7 June 2023, recognises that the special care needs of people with comorbidities should be addressed to facilitate access to effective treatments, in particular for people with drug-use disorders. Council approves the EU drugs strategy for 2021-2025 (press release, 18 December 2020) Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health (European Commission)

Meetings Tuesday 5 December 2023

● European Council   05/12/2023 16:23 | MEETING | EU-China summit, 7 December 2023   Background brief - EU-China summit of 7 December 2023

Press material Wednesday 6 December 2023

● Council of the EU   06/12/2023 12:11 | Media advisory | Press briefing - Foreign Affairs Council of 11 December 2023   The press briefing ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council will take place on Friday, 8 December 2023 at 14.00. This press briefing will be "off the record" and it will be given by a senior EEAS official in a hybrid format: EU accredited journalists will be able to participate and ask questions either remotely or in person at the Europa building press room. To attend the event remotely, please use this link to register and have the possibility to ask questions. Those who already registered for previous press events of the Foreign Affairs Council do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Friday, 8 December 2023, 13.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline.