ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
6.1.

As with the formal governance process the EED, though pan-European in nature, will need establishing in each MS, recognising existing national energy dialogue initiatives but incorporating as targets the objectives of the climate and energy framework. Where national energy dialogues are already taking place integration with the EED would be mutually beneficial and provide a structured but more flexible mechanism that will support the Commission reviewing the elements of the national plan and offer a focus for informing consumers, helping energy suppliers to engage and build trust and providing a channel for the many concerns of different groups about energy security, affordability and sustainability. In summary the following steps would be necessary: — Substantial funding and resources for the EED will be required. The mechanism will be put in place for establishing an independent and non-biased funding pool drawn primarily from stakeholders throughout the energy production and supply chain, supplemented by appropriate EU and MS government support. Overall the EED will be a highly cost effective way of engaging consumers of all types in energy modulation and recognising and stimulating the contribution of ‘prosumers’. — While the Commission should provide clear guidance on the structure of the national plans, on the possibility of updates/revisions, on reporting obligations and on the enforceability of national plans, the EED, in consultation with the Commission and all key stakeholders, will develop guidelines on establishing national energy dialogues. — A fully independent coordinating EED structure will be established to encourage action and implementation in each MS. This structure should contribute, inter alia, to the necessary review by the Commission of the content and ambition of national plans as well as their implementation. This will emphasise the contribution that stakeholders can make to policy formation. — A national 12 month stakeholder engagement and support process in each MS will lead to an involvement and dialogue programme being established with the debate on the priorities of the national plan being a primary topic. Such a process should also look at ensuring the predictability and stability of national plans. — National plan debate and regional discussions with neighbouring national EED groups will take place. Member States’ national plans should provide an account of consultations with neighbouring Member States, inter alia, within the EED, and the resulting areas of regional cooperation. — EU level discussions between all energy dialogue groups will follow. These discussions, channelled through the independent coordinating structure, should have advisory status with EU institutions and enhance the cost-effectiveness of the policies of the EU and MS. — Full use will be made of online tools, for example those developed by DG CONNECT, to support policy evolution through participation and engagement.
3.7.

Article 48 g of the proposal provides for a list to be drawn up of tax jurisdictions that are uncooperative or do not comply with good governance standards in tax matters. The EESC has already endorsed (7) the proposal for an EU list of jurisdictions which refuse to apply good governance standards in tax matters. Currently, most Member States have their own systems of lists and penalties for financial transactions involving these jurisdictions. The EESC considers that an EU list with clear criteria for identifying uncooperative jurisdictions and penalties uniformly applicable by all Member States would be a much more effective instrument for combating tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning. The EESC therefore endorses the measures set out by the Commission in this strategy.
3.7.1.

In some Member States, an average of two thirds of final energy is used to heat homes, and is produced in low-efficiency coal-fired plants. Investments in small-scale gas-fired cogeneration plants would enhance the resilience of the energy system and improve air quality. Such investments are carried out within a short time-frame (2 years); financial costs (CAPEX) are relatively low (although they are increased by operating costs) and partly offset the relatively high fuel costs. Another advantage of small-scale gas-fired cogeneration plants is the very short time needed for synchronisation with the energy distribution network, thus making them an excellent source of compensatory energy during periods of peak energy demand.
5.3.

The EESC, in line with the results of the Commission’s working consultation, points out the issue of small carriers and the need to protect them against increasing red tape. For this reason the EESC supports the Commission’s proposal, which should enable small carriers to satisfy registration requirements by using an internet connection as a cheaper and more flexible option, or choosing to transmit the number of persons on board via the Automatic Information System, a maritime broadcast system based on the transmission of very high frequency radio signals. This would allow the local search and rescue centre to easily retrieve the number of persons on board, at any point in time, regardless of the availability of a contact person.
3.8.

The Commission is asked to evaluate and report to the Council on the implementation of this Directive four years after it enters into force. However, the EESC suggests that the Commission evaluate the status of implementation yearly, with an implementation assessment presented to the Council one year after the proposed deadline. This implementation assessment should include a study of the status of the legislation implementation in the Member States as well as a comprehensive study on third countries that have implemented or are in the course of implementation the OECD BEPS regulations and the position of the EU single market in the global picture. Furthermore, the EESC recommends that the Commission include in the report any disturbance of national legislative frameworks, meaning other tax, commercial or regulatory outcomes, should these situations occur.
3.12.

Related to this, the specific framing of policy coordination suggests the possibility of a conditional and coercive approach — third countries should cooperate with the EU and member countries in the readmission and return of their own nationals, managing migrant flows on their territories and across borders, and hosting people fleeing conflict and persecution. Otherwise, access to EU funding and assistance and to the EU market could be jeopardised. This option could prove problematic and ultimately ineffective. The cooperation of third countries in the migration agenda is driven by internal concerns and internal capacities. A distinction should be made between lack of cooperation based on political will and lack of cooperation based on lack of capacity and resources. They both need to be addressed but by different means. In order to ensure sustainability and resilience, the focus should be on building capacity first. It is also very important to make a distinction between development assistance and migration cooperation. The latter should not be made conditional on the first under any circumstances.
3.10.

Extending the scope of the controls and giving the competent authorities the power to conduct checks and confiscate goods where criminal involvement is suspected, even below the EUR 10 000 threshold, will enable the discovery of more fraudulent cases and the gathering of more information. The information obtained is currently not used as it should be. Information is made available passively in certain Member States and no measures are in place to ensure that it is processed correctly. Communication between the competent authorities must be improved as a matter of necessity: between the customs authorities, for the most part in charge of carrying out the controls and the FIUs in charge of receiving and analysing the information; between the FIUs and the tax and judicial authorities; between the competent authorities in the Member States and those in third countries, particularly those that are responsible for increased flows of illegal cash to and from the EU, as is the case with tax havens.
3.1.4.

The preferred solution, as underscored repeatedly by stakeholders, is a wet-lease agreement between the EU and the USA which would fully comply with the ATA and not contradict national or EU provisions. All issues pertaining to the details of such an agreement have been under discussion since January 2014. It is to be expected that consensus could be achieved rapidly. There is an understanding that such a technical agreement would be based on current traffic rights, as per the ATA, and not create new rights or alter existing ones. The Commission should clarify appropriately that the intention of the amendment is not to change, modify or add further traffic rights between the EU and the USA. Such an agreement would, however, necessitate an amendment to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, which established a 7 + 7 month limitation for wet-leases on EU carriers wet leasing from non-EU airlines. The intended wording fully complies with the requirement to reflect that Article 13 should only apply to the extent that the conditions contained in 13(b) are not otherwise provided for in an international agreement.
3.11.

Although the area of regulation here is part of investigative and judicial cooperation in the area of cyberfraud, it is important to establish deterrents and mechanisms to inform the public about the modus operandi of offenders as well, through awareness-raising campaigns conducted by law enforcement authorities in the Member States. In this respect, the final provisions of the proposal should specify the instruments for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters that will be referred to in extraterritorial situations and the manner in which investigations will be conducted using these instruments. In terms of procedure, this is a useful regulatory tool that can clarify the situation.
EN Official Journal of the European Union C 129/98

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the proposal for a ‘Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 as regards the changes to the resources for economic, social and territorial cohesion and to the resources for the investment for growth and jobs goal and for the European territorial cooperation goal’

(COM(2017) 565 final — 2017/0247 COD)

(2018/C 129/17)

Consultation Council of the European Union, 19.10.2017 European Parliament, 23.10.2017 Legal basis Articles 177 and 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union Section responsible Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion Adopted at plenary 6.12.2017 Plenary session No 530 Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions) 160/0/2

Since the Committee endorsed the content of the proposal and feels that it requires no comment on its part, it decided unanimously not to hold a general discussion and to put the opinion straight to the vote (Rule 50(4) and 56(3)).
4.6.

The EESC believes that the principle of reciprocity with third countries should be applied, particularly as regards the use of launchers. A preference should be given to European launchers, which are bolstering supply with the forthcoming launch of the Ariane 6 and Vega C launchers, the result of European cooperation. These are flexible carriers, which complete the range of options available. Ariane 5, active since 1996, with a record of 82 successful launches, will operate until 2023 and was chosen as the carrier of the James Webb telescope, heir to Hubble. The international market is extremely competitive and some companies in competing countries, with protectionist policies, are proposing dumped prices to get orders in the coming years.
increase the employability and personal development of apprentices and to contribute to the development of a highly skilled and qualified workforce, responsive to labour market needs

provide a coherent framework for apprenticeships based on a common understanding of what defines quality and effectiveness, taking into account the diversity of vocational education and training (VET) systems in Member States
2.3.

The Committee would, however, express reservations about one aspect: the proposal to grant Moldova equivalence for vegetable seed. These seeds, which are governed by Directive 2002/55/EC, are marketed solely as ‘standard’ category, which does not require the official certification in order to be placed on the market, but rather self-certification by the manufacturer and, only after the marketing stage, any post-controls on the characteristics and quality of the product. This system is based on the assumption of responsibility by the producer, which can be easily identified and traceable when based in the EU. Traceability and control is certainly not a simple matter in the case of products of non-EU origin. It is because of this problem that the EU has up to now decided not to grant recognition of equivalence for vegetable seed to any third country. The Committee therefore highlights the problems here, and would like to see a more thorough review by the Commission.
3.8

Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles must also be equipped with: — an event (accident) data recorder — lane keeping assist, and — frontal protection designed and constructed with an enlarged head impact protection zone for vulnerable road users. Light and heavy lorries (categories N2 and N3) and buses (categories M2 and M3) must be equipped with: — a detection and warning system for vulnerable road users in close proximity of the front and nearside of the vehicle, designed and constructed in such a way so as to improve the visibility of vulnerable road users from the driver's seat; and — a lane departure warning system. Buses must be designed and constructed in such a way as to be accessible to persons with reduced mobility, including wheelchair users. Hydrogen-powered vehicles must comply with the requirements set out in Annex V of the regulation. Regarding automated vehicles, rules and detailed technical safety requirements need to be further developed as a basis for their deployment.
4.7.

Turning to Article 7(1), the Committee considers the use of a fishing effort regime based on fishing days and by management unit (GSA) for trawling to be appropriate. On the other hand, the Committee does not support differentiation according to vessel length categories as set out in Annex I, or by effort groups according to catch species, whether blue and red shrimp and giant red shrimp in deep waters or red mullet, hake, deep-water rose shrimp and Norway lobster on the continental shelf and upper slope. The EESC thinks it would be better for management of all trawlers to be carried out by management units (GSA), with no differentiation by vessel length or sea depth: this would be artificial because for all practical purposes no such differentiation exists. Trawlers may catch species from both the continental shelf and deep water in the course of a single fishing trip. It is also important for each GSA to be managed independently, with specific measures to restore the stocks of each GSA regardless of the situation of species in other, different GSAs.
1.25.

The EESC suggests that the evaluation methodology is to be adjusted, because the success of the CEF is not guaranteed solely by the amount of money allocated and the number of projects supported. The EESC proposes improvements to the CEF evaluation methodology. A real quantitative/qualitative assessment should be performed at the end of the 2014-2020 period for the completed projects and those at an advanced level of construction. The EESC calls for a review, inter alia, of the progress of TEN-T development, as well the changes in passenger and freight traffic flows. The EESC also calls for a socioeconomic cost-benefit analysis of TEN-T projects that takes into account the relevant social, economic, climate-related and environmental benefits and costs.
2.2.4.

Measurement of Plato degree of sweetened/flavoured beer: Excise is levied on beer with reference to the Plato degree of ‘ finished product ’ in 14 Member States. Eleven States measure at the end of the brewing process while the other three do it before sugar syrup or aromatic substances are added. (The remaining Member States do not use the Plato methodology; rather, they employ the ABV measurement — Actual Alcoholic Strength by Volume). The term ‘ finished product ’ is not defined in the Directive resulting in three different interpretations. This results in non-uniform measurement and, therefore, leads to differences in the excise duty applied to products which can have the same alcoholic content. It is further asserted that monitoring procedures are burdensome given varying requirements for measuring the Plato degree in the three different interpretations (e.g. monitoring required in the brewery rather from the bottle). The Court of Justice of the European Union finished product ’. Excise is levied on beer with reference to the Plato degree of ‘’ in 14 Member States. Eleven States measure at the end of the brewing process while the other three do it before sugar syrup or aromatic substances are added. (The remaining Member States do not use the Plato methodology; rather, they employ the ABV measurement — Actual Alcoholic Strength by Volume). The term ‘’ is not defined in the Directive resulting in three different interpretations. This results in non-uniform measurement and, therefore, leads to differences in the excise duty applied to products which can have the same alcoholic content. It is further asserted that monitoring procedures are burdensome given varying requirements for measuring the Plato degree in the three different interpretations (e.g. monitoring required in the brewery rather from the bottle). The Court of Justice of the European Union ( 4 ) has interpreted the current Directive to the effect that the Plato degree should be measured prior to the end process, therefore excluding the added substances. The Commission proposes to clarify the provision relating to the degree Plato measurement of beer — in particular, when the measurement of Plato degree should occur ( 5 ) . This envisages measurement at the end of the process (i.e. taking into account any added substances). This will effectively clarify the definition of ‘’.
7.4.

The simplification of the programming documents (Partnership Agreement (PA), operational programmes) is welcome. In particular the EESC agrees with the simplification of the PA and believes that it should be a strategic high-level document. Therefore, it is important that an effort is made to ensure that the Member States’ programmes remain in line with the EU priorities and in synergy with each other. The EESC also welcomes the simplification of the delegated acts. In order to avoid the risk of gold plating by managing authorities, the EESC asks the Commission to involve the European economic and social actors in the formulation of the delegated acts.
3.9.

To this end, the EESC considers it necessary to re-examine the proposal for a positive list at EU level, which is not in line with the requirement to protect the geographical indications scheme as a whole. A system is needed that ensures fair treatment of all European producers wishing to have their geographical indications recognised at international level as well. This is all the more the case given that the criteria chosen do not take into consideration other socioeconomic criteria that are essential for economic development in certain EU regions. A local economy often forms around geographical indications, generating employment and having a significant impact on other sectors of the economy, such as tourism, as well as being beneficial for land use and land-use planning.
‘A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans’

and its six flagship initiatives that range from strengthening the rule of law, reinforcing cooperation on security and migration through to joint investigation teams, the European Border and

, expanding the EU Energy Union to the Western Balkans, lowering roaming charges and rolling out broadband in the region
4.4.

The EESC supports the general objectives of the proposal and is aware that specific aspects of how it will work will be dealt with at a later point. However, as this is a regulation, it considers that certain sensitive aspects related to governance, funding and achieving the objectives set should be outlined in advance. It is important that the future Network and the Centre should build as far as possible on the Member States’ expertise and cyber skills, and that competences should not all be concentrated in the new Centre. It is also important to ensure that the activities of the future Network and the Centre do not overlap with existing cooperation mechanisms and bodies.
Corrigendum to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2015/757 in order to take appropriate account of the global data collection system for ship fuel oil consumption data’

( Official Journal of the European Union C 240 of 16 July 2019 )

(2019/C 282/10)

On page 43, paragraph 3.1:

for:

‘This seems to be in conflict with the new amended provision of the proposal in Article 9(1)(f) (new) stating that any monitoring (on a per voyage basis) of cargo carried shall be voluntary, as the proposed change to the cargo carried is only a voluntary monitoring item and as such is not aligned with the UN IMO DCS.’,

read:

‘This seems to be in conflict with the new amended provision of the proposal in Article 9(1)(f) stating that any monitoring (on a per voyage basis) of cargo carried shall be voluntary, as the proposed change to the cargo carried is only a voluntary monitoring item and as such is not aligned with the UN IMO DCS.’;

on page 43, paragraph 3.2:

for:

‘The proposed Article 11(2) (new) could be amended as follows:’,

read:
3.12.

As to the latter, the EESC requires that the competent national authorities carefully monitor and verify whether the rules limiting the utilisation of data and information within the proposal, as well as the provisions of the GDPR, are fully and concretely complied with. The EESC calls on the Commission — when collecting feedback from Member States which is due to be completed by the end of 2024 — to carefully check — alongside the national authorities in charge of personal data protection and the European Data Protection Supervisor — whether the provisions of the GDPR have been fully complied with and report to the European Parliament and the Council within its planned report on the functioning of the new administrative cooperation tool (Article 59 of Regulation (EU) No 904/2010). Should distortions or wrongdoings be detected, they must of course be immediately prevented and corrected.
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 as regards fishing authorisations for Union fishing vessels in United Kingdom waters and fishing operations of United Kingdom fishing vessels in Union waters’

(COM(2019) 49 final — 2019/0010 (COD))

(2019/C 190/11)

Referral European Parliament, 30.1.2019 Council of the European Union, 06.2.2019 Legal basis Articles 43(2) and 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union Section responsible Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment Adopted at plenary session 20.2.2019 Plenary session No 541 Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions) 171/0/2

Since the Committee unreservedly endorses the content of the proposal and feels that it requires no comment on its part, it decided, at its 541st plenary session of 20 and 21 February 2019 (meeting of 20 February), by 171 votes to 0 with 2 abstentions, to issue an opinion endorsing the proposed text.