COUNCIL OF THE EU,update

 

Press material Monday, 17 November 2025

● Council of the EU   17/11/2025 10:50 | Press release | Consumer protection: Council approves the updated alternative dispute resolution directive   The Council has today given its final approval to a directive that updates, simplifies, and enhances the existing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) framework. ADR refers to methods for resolving disputes between consumers and traders outside of court, typically with the assistance of a neutral third party. The legal text approved today aims to make ADR a more accessible and more appealing option for resolving disputes arising from contractual agreements, including issues related to precontractual obligations. It will make the ADR framework fit to digital markets, enhance the use of ADR in cross-border disputes and simplify ADR procedures to the benefit of all actors. Additionally, the proposal will rationalise reporting obligations and reduce administrative burden. Subject to certain conditions, ADR will now also be available for disputes between EU-based consumers and traders from third countries. Furthermore, traders will have a duty to reply within 20 days after being contacted by an ADR entity, and failure to do so will be considered a refusal to participate in the process. The new directive requires member states to promote ADR participation for traders and consumers, and to put particular emphasis on sectors with low participation in ADR or with a high volume of consumer complaints. The Commission will develop and maintain a user-friendly, multilingual IT tool to facilitate the use of ADR in cross-border consumer disputes. Next steps The approval of the first-reading position is the final step in the Council's adoption process. However, the text still needs to be approved in a plenary session of the European Parliament. Once adopted, the directive will take effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal. Member states will then have 26 months to incorporate the new rules into their national laws, and the rules will apply 32 months after the directive is published in the Official Journal. Background In any commercial relationship, traders and consumers may have disputes to resolve (for instance, if a product or service is not delivered on time or in good condition, or if the consumer has not paid the full purchase price). With the development of online shopping, the number of disputes has increased substantially. Resolving a dispute in court can be lengthy and entails the involvement of lawyers and considerable procedural costs. However, there are alternative ways to resolve problems without going to court. According to the 2023 Consumer Conditions Scoreboard, 25% of consumers experience a problem worthy of complaint, but one third of them do not act. As a result, each year only 300 000 eligible disputes are resolved in the EU via ADR. The most recent European legislation to regulate out-of-court consumer redress was adopted in 2013 and has not been amended since. On 17 October 2023, the Commission proposed a new package of measures to modernise and simplify the ADR rules. The package included a directive amending the ADR directive and a regulation to discontinue the Online Dispute Resolution platform, which was used less than expected. This ODR regulation was formally adopted on 19 November 2024. ADR council’s negotiating mandate Council calls for the closure of the ODR platform and its replacement with a better tool (press release, 19 November 2024) Commission proposal on alternative dispute resolution Consumer protection (background information)   Visit the website

● Council of the EU

17/11/2025 10:42 | Press release | Council adopts new EU law to speed-up handling of cross-border data protection complaints   Today the Council adopted new rules to improve cooperation between national data protection bodies when they enforce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in order to speed up the process of handling cross-border data protection complaints. The measures adopted will streamline administrative procedures relating to, for instance, the rights of complainants or the admissibility of cases, and thus make enforcement of the GDPR in cross-border cases more efficient. Main elements of the new EU regulations Admissibility: The requirements for the admissibility of cross-border action – the decision if a complaint meets the conditions for being investigated – will be harmonised. Regardless of where in the EU a complaint is filed, admissibility will be judged on the basis of the same information. Rights of complainants and parties under investigation: Common rules will apply for the involvement of the complainant in the procedure, the right to be heard for the company or organisation that is being investigated as well as the right to receive the preliminary findings in order to express their views on it. Simple cooperation procedure: For straightforward cases data protection authorities can decide, in order to avoid administrative burden, to settle actions without resorting to the full set of cooperation rules. Deadlines: In the future an investigation should not take more than 15 months. For the most complex cases this deadline can be extended by 12 months. In the case of a simple cooperation procedure between national data protection bodies, the investigation should be wrapped up within 12 months. Next steps Today’s adoption by the Council is the final legislative step. The regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. It will become applicable 15 months after its entry into force. Background The GDPR has put in place a system of cooperation between national data protection bodies. Those authorities, which are responsible for enforcing the GDPR, are obliged to cooperate when a data protection case concerns cross-border processing. This is the case, for instance, when the complainant resides in a member state other than that of the company under investigation. In such cross-border cases, a single national authority will take on the role of lead authority in the investigation, but is required to cooperate with its counterparts in other member states. Data protection in the EU (background information) Data protection: Council and European Parliament reach deal to make cross-border GDPR enforcement work better for citizens (press release, 16 June 2025)   Visit the website

● Council of the EU

17/11/2025 10:35 | Press release | European political parties and foundations: Council signs off new rules to improve transparency of funding and counter foreign interference   Today, the Council gave its final green light on changes to the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (EUPPFs). The revised regulation aims to enhance transparency of European political parties and bolster the framework for their funding, particularly to counter the risks of foreign interference and manipulation. It will also reduce the administrative burden and increase the visibility of European political parties towards EU citizens. Main elements of the revised regulation The revised regulation strengthens the transparency of the European political environment, the visibility of EUPPFs and reinforces the EU’s capacity to prevent the risk of foreign interference. Better visibility and increased transparency requirements The new law specifies the type of activities that European political parties may organise jointly with their member parties, with a view to contributing to the formation of European political awareness. The new rules, however, maintain the prohibition for EUPPFs to finance national referendum campaigns. Moreover, the regulation includes strong measures on gender balance in parties. Financial viability for EUPPFs The revised regulation aligns the regimes for European political parties and European political foundations, bringing the co-financing rate to obtain European subsidies to 5% for both. The law also ensures appropriate monitoring of the new accounting category linked to the financial income generated by the EUPPFs’ activities (‘self-generated resources’) and provides that this source of revenue will be limited to 3% of their annual budget for European political parties and 5% for European political foundations. Limiting risks of foreign interference The revised regulation requires EUPPFs to submit a written declaration on their compliance and their members’ compliance with EU values while specifying that a new declaration should be produced following any change in membership. Moreover, the new rules limit the risk of foreign interference by applying limitations for the newly created categories of ‘associated member parties’ and ‘associated member organisations’. The revised regulation also prohibits membership fees or contributions to EUPPFs from parties or organisations outside the EU, while retaining the possibility for parties to maintain cooperation with their political partners beyond the borders of the EU. Finally, the new rules introduce safeguards to ensure that members of EUPPFs parties are not under restrictive measures. Next steps Following today’s adoption, the legislative act will be published in the EU’s official journal in the coming days and enter into force on the twentieth day after this publication. Background On 25 November 2021, the Commission adopted the ‘European Elections’ Democracy and Integrity Package’, which included a proposal for a recast of the regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations. The package also included a legislative proposal on the transparency and targeting of political advertising, already adopted by the Council in March 2024, and two legislative proposals on the electoral rights of citizens residing in a member state of which they are not nationals in European and municipal elections, as well as a communication announcing a joint mechanism for electoral resilience. Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (recast), 17 November 2025 Regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations (recast), Outcome of the European Parliament’s first reading (Strasbourg, 20-23 October 2025) Protecting election integrity and promoting democratic participation, Commission communication, 25 November 2021 Funding of European political parties and foundations (background information)   Visit the website

17/11/2025 10:28 | Press release |

Council signs off postponing rules on classification, labelling, and packaging of chemicals to 2028

Today, the Council gave its final green light to postpone to 1 January 2028 the dates of entry into application of many provisions in the regulation on classification, labelling, and packaging of chemicals (CLP regulation), which was revised in 2024. This so-called ‘Stop-the-clock’ legislation is the first part of the ‘Omnibus VI’ package submitted by the Commission in July 2025. In view of the significant and urgent implications for businesses, the Danish Presidency treated the ‘Stop-the-clock’ legislative proposal with utmost priority. The co-legislators adopted this amending regulation without making any changes to the Commission proposal. “The EU’s chemical sector is a cornerstone of Europe’s economy, driving innovation, growth and thousands of high-value jobs across the internal market. With today’s stop-the-clock-adoption, we ensure time and legal certainty for businesses while we make the necessary simplifications that will strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and maintain high standards of safety.” — Marie Bjerre, Minister for European affairs of Denmark The newly adopted law provides more time and legal certainty to businesses. The new regulation also gives more time to the co-legislators to agree on the other substantive changes to the CLP regulation in the second part of the ‘Omnibus VI’ package, which is currently under negotiation and for which Council agreed on a mandate on 5 November 2025. The ‘stop-the-clock’ legislation postpones all the dates of application of transitional provisions for relabelling, mandatory formatting requirements, advertisements, online and distance sales, and labelling of fuel pumps to 1 January 2028. In the CLP regulation, as revised in 2024, the dates of entry into application of these provisions, which had caused significant burden to the industry and companies, especially to the SMEs, were 1 July 2026 for some and 1 January 2027 for others. Next steps Following today’s adoption, the legislative act will be published in the EU’s Official Journal in the coming days and enter into force on the twentieth day after this publication. 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. As a follow-up to the EU leaders’ call, between 26 February and 8 July 2025, 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 two proposals of “Omnibus VI” aim to simplify certain provisions in three major pieces of EU chemical legislation while maintaining a high level of protection of consumers’ health and the environment. The three regulations to be amended are: CLP 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, 17 November 2025 Proposal for a regulation amending regulation (EU) 2024/2865 as regards dates of application and transitional provisions, Outcome of the European Parliament’s first reading (Strasbourg, 20 to 23 October 2025) Simplification: Council approves ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism on chemicals to provide legal certainty to businesses (press release, 24 September 2025) Regulation amending regulation (EU) 2024/2865 as regards dates of application and transitional provisions, Commission proposal, 9 July 2025 Simplification of EU rules (background information)   Visit the website

● International ministerial meetings

17/11/2025 10:10 | Meetings | Main results - 7th Accession Conference with Albania, 17 November 2025   The seventh meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania was held today in Brussels. The meeting served to open negotiations with Albania on the last remaining Cluster 5 ‘Resources, agriculture and cohesion’, including Chapters 11 (agriculture and rural development), 12 (food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary), 13 (fisheries and aquaculture), 22 (regional policy and coordination of structural instruments), and 33 (financial and budgetary provisions).   View meeting page

● Council of the EU

17/11/2025 09:57 | Press release | EU opens last accession negotiating cluster with Albania on resources, agriculture and cohesion   Today, the seventh meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania marked the opening of negotiations on the so-called cluster 5: resources, agriculture and cohesion. This cluster is the last remaining and covers notably: agriculture and fisheries, food safety and cohesion policies.   “Enlargement is a geopolitical necessity for the EU. And a key priority for the Danish presidency. Accession of our Western Balkans partners upon completion of the necessary reforms is very important. Today’s step of opening the last negotiating cluster with Albania demonstrates the country’s commitment to further advancing its path towards EU membership.” — Marie Bjerre, Minister for European affairs of Denmark This opening follows the opening of the first cluster on ‘Fundamentals’, the sixth cluster on ‘External relations’, the second cluster on ‘Internal market’, the third cluster on ‘Competitiveness and inclusion growth’, and the fourth cluster on ‘Green agenda and sustainable connectivity’ at the Accession Conferences with Albania held on 15 October 2024, 17 December 2024, 14 April, 22 May, and 16 September 2025, respectively. Monitoring of progress in the alignment with and implementation of the EU acquis and relevant European standards will continue throughout the negotiations. The EU also set benchmarks for the provisional closure of the chapters that belong to cluster 5. The Accession Conference will return to cluster 5 at an appropriate moment. Background Following the introduction of the revised methodology for accession negotiations in 2020, negotiating chapters are divided in 6 thematic clusters: Fundamentals Internal market Competitiveness and inclusive growth Green agenda and sustainable connectivity Resources, agriculture and cohesion External relations Negotiations on the Fundamentals cluster are the first to be opened and the last to be closed, and progress under this cluster will determine the overall pace of negotiations. EU common position on Cluster 5 : Resources, agriculture and cohesion (once the Accession Conference has taken place) EU common position on Cluster 4 : Green agenda and sustainable connectivity EU common position on Cluster 3 : Competitiveness and inclusive growth EU common position on Cluster 2 : Internal market EU common position on Cluster 6: External relations First meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, 19 July 2022 Second meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, 15 October 2024 Third meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, 17 December 2024 Fourth meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, 14 April 2025 Fifth meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, 22 May 2025 Sixth meeting of the Accession Conference with Albania, 16 September 2025 Albania (background information)   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   17/11/2025 13:26 | Press release | Council greenlights new EU rules for the suspension of visa-free travel for third countries   Today the Council gave its final go ahead for an update of the EU’s mechanism to suspend visa-free travel for citizens of third countries who do not require a visa when travelling to the Schengen area. The amended rules will allow the EU to react quicker and more vigorously to situations where visa-free travel is being abused or works against its interests. Main elements of the updated visa suspension mechanism There will be new grounds for triggering the suspension mechanism. When the new amendments enter into force, the EU will be able to revoke a country’s visa-free status if this third country lacks alignment with EU’s visa policy. Furthermore, when a country runs an investor citizenship scheme whereby citizenship is granted to people who have no genuine link to the third country concerned the EU can stop the visa exemption of this country. The same will be the case when the EU’s relations with a country deteriorate, for instance in the event of human rights violations. The regulation also makes it easier to trigger the suspension mechanism. For instance a threshold of 30% – instead of the previous threshold of 50% – quantifies substantial increases of cases of refused entry and overstay, asylum applications and serious criminal offences. The duration of the initial suspension of the visa exemption will increase to 12 months (from 9 months currently). This initial period can be extended by a further 24 months (instead of 18 months now). This longer temporary suspension phase will allow the EU to engage with the third country in question to remedy the circumstances that led to the suspension (before the visa-free regime can be permanently revoked). The new mechanism also foresees a targeted approach to ending the visa exemption. Whereas currently all citizens of a country are affected by the suspension of the visa-free regime when the initial period is being extended, under the new rules the additional 24-month suspension phase would not automatically affect the entire population. Instead, the EU could decide to (continue) targeting  government officials and diplomats. Next steps The regulation will enter into force on the twentieth day after its publication in the EU’s Official Journal. It will be directly binding and applicable in EU member states. Background The visa suspension mechanism, in place since 2013, is a safeguard against the abuse of visa-free travel. It allows the EU to temporarily suspend the visa exemption under certain conditions. It has only been applied once (in 2024). Borders and visa (background information) Regulation as regards the revision of the suspension mechanism, 05 November 2025 Visa policy: Council and European Parliament secure a deal on rules about the suspension of visa-free travel for third countries (press release, 17 June 2024)   Visit the website