COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Monday 4 March 2024

● Council of the EU   04/03/2024 10:28 | Press release | Interoperable Europe act: Council adopts new law for more efficient digital public services across the EU   With a view to creating a network of interconnected digital public administrations and accelerating the digital transformation of Europe’s public sector, the Council adopted a new law regarding measures on a high level of public sector interoperability across the EU (Interoperable Europe act). "The adoption of this regulation is a key moment for our commitment towards the EU’s digital transformation. The new law will enable public administrations across Europe to cooperate more effectively, thus saving time and costs for our citizens and businesses. Moreover, it introduces measures to promote innovation, enhance skills and knowledge exchange, which are essential for a successful uptake of digital solutions." Mathieu Michel, Belgian Secretary of State for digitisation, administrative simplification, privacy protection and the building regulation Main objectives of the new legislation The regulation aims to set up a new cooperation framework for EU public administrations to ensure the seamless delivery of public services across borders, and to provide for support measures promoting innovation and enhancing skills and knowledge exchange. The new law will establish an interoperability governance structure with a view to creating an ecosystem of shared interoperability solutions for the EU’s public sector, notably through the setting of regulatory sandboxes. This way, public administrations in the EU can contribute to and re-use such solutions, innovate together, and create added value. Key elements of the regulation The main elements contained in the new regulation can be summarised as follows: the concept and definition of ‘trans-European digital public services’ in line with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality provisions ensuring a structured EU cooperation where public administrations come together in the framework of projects co-owned by member states, as well as regions and cities a multi-level governance framework steered by the ‘Interoperable Europe Board’, which stands at the core of the new structure set up by the regulation the possibility to share and reuse interoperability solutions, powered by a one-stop-shop for solutions and community cooperation (‘Interoperable Europe portal’) and supported by measures to promote innovation, and enhance skills and knowledge exchange main objectives and conditions of the mandatory interoperability assessment, in line with the principle of proportionality to avoid overburdening national and local administrations consistency with the provisions of the artificial intelligence act (AIA) and of the general data protection regulation (GDPR), with regard to the establishment of and participation to interoperability regulatory sandboxes Next steps Following today’s adoption, the text of the legislative act will be published in the EU’s official journal in the coming weeks and the regulation will enter into force 20 days after this publication. Background In the past years, digital government and data experts have developed wide-ranging common interoperability cooperation practices based on the current European Interoperability Framework (EIF). The EIF is Europe’s widely recognised conceptual model for interoperability. However, recent evaluations have exposed serious limitations of this entirely voluntary cooperation approach. EU member states have increasingly stressed the need to strengthen European interoperability cooperation. Among others, the ministerial declarations signed in 2017 in Tallinn and 2020 in Berlin attest to this necessity. With a view to addressing these needs, the Commission adopted the proposal for an ‘Interoperable Europe Act’ on 18 November 2022. On 2 June 2023, the TTE (Telecommunications) Council took note of a progress report on this file and on 6 October 2023, member states’ representatives (Coreper) agreed on a mandate allowing the presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament. A first trilogue was held on 10 October 2023 and a provisional agreement was reached in a second trilogue on 13 November 2023. The European Parliament’s rapporteur was Ivars Ijabs (Renew Europe/LV) whereas the Commission was represented at the interinstitutional talks by Commissioner in charge of budget and administration, Johannes Hahn. Regulation laying down measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe act), Text of the legislative act, 4 March 2024 Text of the provisional agreement (IEA), December 2023 Interoperable Europe act, Council’s negotiating mandate with the EP, 6 October 2023 Regulation laying down measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (Interoperable Europe Act), Commission proposal, 18 November 2022 European Interoperability Framework (EIF) (European Commission, background information) Ministerial declaration on digital society and value-based digital government, Berlin, 8 December 2020 Press material Monday 4 March 2024   ● Council of the EU   04/03/2024 10:22 | Press release | E-waste: Council adopts amendments to clarify who pays for management costs   The Council today has adopted amendments to the EU law on waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) which includes a range of products such as computers, fridges and photovoltaic panels. The amendments aim to bring the WEEE directive into line with a 2022 EU Court of Justice judgment on the partial invalidity of the directive owing to unjustified retroactive application of extended producer responsibility to waste from photovoltaic panels placed on the market between 13 August 2005 and 13 August 2012. The amendments clarify that: the costs of the management and disposal of waste from photovoltaic panels placed on the market after 13 August 2012 rest with the producer of the EEE extended producer responsibility for EEE products that were added to the scope of the directive in 2018 should apply to those e-products that were put on the market after that date The amendments also introduce a review clause by which the Commission must assess, no later than 2026, the need for a revision of the directive. Background and next steps The Commission adopted its proposal for a targeted amendment to the WEEE Directive on 7 February 2023. Following the adoption of their negotiating positions in June (Council) and October (European Parliament) 2023, the co-legislators reached a provisional political agreement in November 2023. The agreement was formally voted by the European Parliament on 6 February 2024. Today’s vote by the Council closes the adoption procedure. The text of the amendments will now be signed by the co-legislators. It will then be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later. Member states will have up to 18 months to transpose the amended directive into national law. Amendments to the WEEE directive A item note for the adoption of the amended directive Voting results Waste from electrical and electronic equipment: Council and Parliament agree on deal to align with Court ruling (press release, 21 November 2023) EU Court of Justice ruling (C-181/20)

Press material Monday 4 March 2024

● Council of the EU   04/03/2024 09:01 | Media advisory | Press briefing - Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry) of 7 March 2024   The press briefing ahead of the Competitiveness Council will take place on Tuesday, 5 March at 10.00. 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 Competitiveness Council do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Tuesday, 5 March 2024, 09.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline. Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 7 March 2024 – Meeting page