COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Meetings Wednesday, 24 September 2025

● Council of the EU   24/09/2025 13:24 | Meetings | Agenda highlights - Competitiveness Council (Research), 30 September 2025   Research ministers will approve council conclusions on Research and Innovation for the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, and on life science and competitiveness. They will also discuss the 2028-2034 Research and Innovation framework programme.   View meeting page

● Council of the EU

24/09/2025 13:18 | Meetings | Agenda highlights - Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 29 September 2025   Ministers responsible for the internal market and industry will conduct policy debates on the competitiveness fund and on simplification.   View meeting page

● Council of the EU

24/09/2025 10:37 | Press release | Simplification: Council approves ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism on chemicals to provide legal certainty to businesses   Member states’ representatives approved today the Council’s position on one of the Commission’s proposals to simplify EU rules and thus boost EU competitiveness in the field of chemical products. This proposal (the so-called ‘Stop-the-clock’ mechanism) postpones to 1 January 2028 the date of entry into application of the revised regulation on classification, labelling, and packaging of chemicals (CLP regulation). The proposal also amends the timelines for relabelling, mandatory formatting requirements, advertisements, distance sales and labelling of fuel pumps. “The EU’s chemical industry is vital to innovation, jobs and sustainable growth across the European Union. With this agreement, we take another step on the path to reduce unnecessary burdens while maintaining the highest possible level of protection for consumers. Every step forward is a step towards a more competitive Europe.” — Marie Bjerre, Minister for European affairs of Denmark The proposal forms part of the ‘Omnibus VI’ package adopted by the Commission at the beginning of July 2025 to simplify EU legislation in the field of chemical products. In view of significant implications for the business community, the Danish presidency has treated this proposal with utmost priority with the aim of providing EU companies with the necessary legal certainty as regards their obligations. Member states have broadly shared the presidency’s sense of urgency and, in that view, supported the Commission’s proposal to move the entry into application to 1 January 2028 for the mandatory formatting requirements, provisions on advertisements and distance sales regarding chemical products. This will provide legal certainty to economic operators and avoid having different application dates for the same type of obligations imposed on businesses by two amending acts to the CLP Regulation. A possible swift agreement between the co-legislators will provide them with time to agree on substantive changes to the CLP regulation, also proposed by the Commission as part of the ‘Omnibus VI’ package on chemicals. Next steps Following today’s approval of the Council’s negotiating mandate by Coreper, the presidency will negotiate with the European Parliament to reach a final agreement. Background In October 2024, the European Council called on all EU institutions, member states and stakeholders, as a matter of priority, to take work forward, notably in response to the challenges identified in the reports by Enrico Letta (‘Much more than a market’) and Mario Draghi (‘The future of European competitiveness’).  The Budapest declaration of 8 November 2024 subsequently called for ‘launching a simplification revolution’, by ensuring a clear, simple and smart regulatory framework for businesses and drastically reducing administrative, regulatory and reporting burdens, in particular for SMEs. Between 26 February and 9 July 2025, as a follow-up to EU leaders’ call, the Commission put forward six ‘Omnibus’ packages, aiming to simplify existing legislation on sustainability, investment, agriculture, small and mid-caps, digitalisation and common specifications, defence readiness and chemical products. The proposals of “Omnibus VI” aim to simplify certain provisions in three major pieces of EU chemical legislation while maintaining a high level of protection. The three regulations to be amended are: LP regulation (EC) 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures and the revised CLP Regulation (EU) 2865/2024, cosmetics regulation (EC) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, and fertilising products regulation (EU) 2019/1009 laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products. Regulation amending regulation (EU) 2024/2865 as regards dates of application and transitional provisions, Commission proposal, 9 July 2025   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   24/09/2025 10:04 | Media advisory | Press briefing - Competitiveness Council (Internal market, industry and research) of 29 and 30 September 2025   The press briefing ahead of the Competitiveness Council will take place on Thursday, 25 September 2025 at 15.00 in the Europa building press room. 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. To attend the event remotely, please use the link below 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: Thursday, 25 September 2025 at 14.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline. Registration page Media accreditation for journalists   Visit the website ● European Council   24/09/2025 18:32 | Speech | Speech by President António Costa at the second meeting of the "In Defense of Democracy: Fighting Against Extremism" initiative   [Check against delivery in Spanish] Dear friends, thank you very much for inviting me here. Today, I want to share three messages with you all. My first message is that democracy is not just another ideology. Democracy is the system that makes coexistence and the peaceful transition of power between different ideological visions possible. Democracy cannot be ascribed any colour, race or nationality. Democracy belongs to humanity. If we limit it to partisan conflict, we weaken it and betray its essence, which is to be the common ground where political differences are resolved. My second message is that democracy is everyone's heritage and needs all democrats. Both the progressives and the conservatives. It requires the two sides to acknowledge each other within the same democratic sphere. The greatest risk today comes not only from extremist attacks, but also from moderate parties drifting towards authoritarian positions. That is why democracy must be a shared commitment, going beyond any ideological border. The specific contribution that progressives can make today is to combat new inequalities. These include difficulties in accessing housing, which is eroding the middle class and harming young people, above all. Because there will be no strong democracy without a strong middle class. And democracy will have no future if young people are excluded. We must do everything we can to ensure that the parties at the political centre remain the backbone of the democratic system. Because democracy must be a shared commitment, going beyond any ideological border. Because democracy means dialogue and commitment. My third message is that democracy loses out if we pit it against technological progress. We must learn how to strengthen democracy with the tools that technological progress offers us. It is true that anti-democratic movements have been effective in using technology to distort public debate. We must regulate digital services in a way that protects our freedoms. This is why, with the European Digital Services Act, we are pushing ahead with clear regulations for online platforms in order to curb the spread of fake news. We also need global coordination to combat the disinformation spread by authoritarian movements. But technology does not 'belong' to anyone: it is a tool and has historically also served democratic causes. The fact that Leni Riefenstahl used cinema for Nazi propaganda did not make all cinema Nazi, and similarly, just because some people use the internet to spread poison does not mean that we should give up on the technology. We need to show that it can strengthen freedom and public discourse. In short, defending democracy means keeping it alive, open and capable of renewal; it means understanding that it belongs to everyone and that it is inseparable from human progress. Thank you very much.   Visit the website

● Council of the EU

24/09/2025 19:29 | Press release | Simplification: Council agrees positions on digitalisation and common specifications, as well as on small mid-caps, to boost EU competitiveness   Member states’ representatives (Coreper) approved today the Council’s positions on several Commission proposals which form part of the so-called ‘Omnibus IV’ legislative package and contain two main elements: two proposals (directive and regulation) on digitalisation and common specifications aiming to digitalise existing physical requirements by implementing the ‘digital by default’ principle and introduce a procedure for the Commission to draw up common specifications in a number of legal acts, and two proposals (directive and regulation) aiming to extend certain mitigation and support measures available for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to companies that have outgrown the SME definition, the so-called small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs) “Too many European companies spend too much time navigating complex rules. With today’s agreement, we take an important step to change that. Whether it’s simplifying digital documentation or helping small businesses grow, this is about building a more competitive Europe. There is more work ahead – but these agreements show that simplification is no longer just a promise, it’s now a practice.” — Marie Bjerre, Minister for European affairs of Denmark “With this agreement, we are showing the way towards a more digital Europe with fewer burdens for our businesses. This is absolutely crucial for Europe’s future in a world where countries like the USA and China are pulling ahead. By harnessing the potential of technology, we can remove very concrete burdens for our companies. At the same time, we are showing flexibility towards businesses that have grown large but should become even larger and create the solutions of the future here in Europe.” — Morten Bødskov, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Objectives of the proposals On digitalisation and common specifications, the proposals aim to amend 20 pieces of EU product legislation under single market rules on digitalisation and common specifications. They follow up on a broader strategy to prioritise digital formats with the aim of eliminating paper-based requirements in product legislation. In particular, the proposal foresees the digitalisation of the EU declaration of conformity, as well as the exchanges between competent national authorities and economic operators. The proposal additionally gives the possibility for manufacturers to provide instructions for use to users in digital format instead of paper. Furthermore, the proposal introduces alternative solutions to prove the compliance of a product with EU rules via ‘a common specification’ in situations where harmonised standards are not available. This will offer more legal certainty, reduce costs, and increase competitiveness. On small mid-cap enterprises, the main objective is to extend certain mitigation and supporting measures available for SMEs to companies that have outgrown the SME definition. These companies are considered to play a vital role in the EU economy, providing 6% of overall employment and are prominently present in key EU competitiveness sectors, such as electronics, aerospace and defence, energy, energy-intensive industries and health. Defining a new category of small mid-cap companies should help to: avoid a cliff-edge and enable smooth transition of SMEs into SMCs allow SMCs to keep the same beneficial environment as when they were SMEs give better incentives to SMEs to scale up Main elements of the Council’s amendments On SMCs, the original Commission proposal identifies this new category of companies as enterprises with fewer than 750 employees and either up to €150 million in turnover or up to €129 million in annual balance sheet total. In its mandate, the Council raised these thresholds to enterprises with fewer than 1000 employees and either an annual turnover of up to €200 million or up to €172 million in annual balance sheet total. On digitalisation and common specifications, the Council has broadly retained the thrust of the Commission proposals, while amending several technical elements specific to the respective legislative acts. The Council has also introduced further clarifications regarding the access to digitally available information and to a company’s ‘digital contact’. The text also ensures that, in cases where there is a risk of serious harm to consumers, safety information is always available in paper form. The Council aligned the texts on common specifications with the approach agreed in the ‘Toy Safety’ regulation (Article 14) earlier this year. The text clarifies that the common specifications should only serve as a fallback option when harmonised standards are not available or insufficient, hence promoting coherence across the EU acquis. Finally, the Council has extended the transposition deadlines of the directive to 24 months to give member states sufficient time to implement the amendments. Next steps Following today’s approval of the Council’s negotiating mandates by Coreper, the presidency will start negotiation with the European Parliament as soon as possible to reach a final agreement. Background In October 2024, the European Council called on all EU institutions, member states and stakeholders, as a matter of priority, to take work forward, notably in response to the challenges identified in the reports by Enrico Letta (‘Much more than a market’) and Mario Draghi (‘The future of European competitiveness’).  The Budapest declaration of 8 November 2024 subsequently called for ‘launching a simplification revolution’, by ensuring a clear, simple and smart regulatory framework for businesses and drastically reducing administrative, regulatory and reporting burdens, in particular for SMEs. Between 26 February and 9 July 2025, as a follow-up to EU leaders’ call, the Commission put forward six ‘Omnibus’ packages, aiming to simplify existing legislation on sustainability, investment, agriculture, small mid-caps enterprises, digitalisation and common specifications, defence readiness and chemical products. On 21 May 2025, the Commission adopted its fourth Omnibus package. The package contains a proposal for a directive and for a regulation on mid-caps, a proposal for a directive and a regulation as regards the digitalisation and alignment of common specifications amending 20 pieces of EU product legislation under single market rules, as well as an amendment of the regulation on batteries regarding the due diligence requirements. The regulation and directive on mid-caps amend a total of 8 existing pieces of legislation: the general data protection regulation (GDPR), the anti-dumping regulation, the anti-subsidies regulation, the prospectus regulation, the batteries regulation, the F-gases regulation, the markets in financial instruments directive (MiFID) and the critical entities resilience directive. Regulation on the extension of certain mitigation measures available for small and medium enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures, Commission proposal, 27 May 2025 Directive on the extension of certain mitigation measures available for small and medium enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures, Commission proposal, 27 May 2025 Regulation as regards digitalisation and common specifications, Commission proposal, 21 May 2025 Directive as regards digitalisation and common specifications, Commission proposal, 21 May 2025 Simplification (background information)   Visit the website

● European Council

24/09/2025 16:45 | Speech | Speech by President António Costa at the First Biennial Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy   Two out of five families live in countries where more money is spent on debt service than on national health and education services combined. We do not have a finance problem, but an allocation problem. Year on year, $4 trillion are missing in our efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. To overcome this financing gap, we need to reform the international financial institutions. Making them more inclusive, efficient and representative, where more solutions can be raised by more countries around the table. We need to mobilize funding from all sources, not only public. We must involve the private sector more systematically. And we need to increase the lending capacity of Multilateral Development banks and to improve the debt relief processes. The “Seville Commitment” was a breakthrough. Now, we need to focus on its implementation. To benefit all countries, citizens and businesses. The European Union is doing its part. The European Union together with its Member Sates accounts for 42% of global development aid. We are also the world’s leading development and climate finance provider. Through the European Union’s efforts via the Global Gateway, we are combining development assistance and sustainable investments in projects that have an economic value. And we are well on track to reach our commitment to mobilise €300 billion in investments by 2027. For connectivity projects, to make the social, digital and green transitions a reality across the globe. These are not just essential goals to improve life quality, but they also contribute to global prosperity. A fair and shared prosperity for all. There is a lot of work ahead of us. It requires staying the course and honouring our commitment of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. This first-ever Biennial Summit is a unique opportunity to come together and advance on these issues. Thank you.   Visit the website