ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2009/65/EC as regards the use of key information documents by management companies of undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS)

(COM(2021) 399 final – 2021/0219 (COD))

(2022/C 105/25)

Referral Council of the European Union, 1.9.2021 Legal basis Article 53(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union Section responsible Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion Adopted at plenary 20.10.2021 Plenary session No 564 Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions) 218/0/11

Since the Committee endorses the content of the proposal and feels that it requires no comment on its part, it decided, at its 564th plenary session of 20 and 21 October 2021 (meeting of 20 October 2021), by 218 votes with 11 abstentions, to issue an opinion endorsing the proposed text.
2.6.

The proposal indicates that the overall aim of the Regulation is to limit trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. According to Frontex, from January to October 2021, 6 571 people crossed the eastern EU border, 3 868 of them being Iraqi citizens. Iraqi citizens have one of the highest rates of recognition of the right to receive international protection. On the basis of these figures, these persons need to be considered not just regular migrants but potential legitimate seekers of international protection. Thus, the proposal should be updated to recognise this fact. The proposal should also contain very specific measures to allow persons in Belarus and the EU countries to apply for international protection.
A very quick replacement of existing CO2 leakage measures by the CBAM could lead to significant uncertainty, disrupting long-term investment decisions already taken based on the recently revised 2030 targets. It could also reduce the industry’s capacity to invest in low-carbon technologies and become a barrier to competition for access to third markets. Therefore, where necessary, the current rate of free allowance should be retained initially to enable CBAM covered industries to become more carbon efficient followed by a gradual reduction in free allowances, as deemed appropriate , to facilitate further decarbonisation.

A very quick replacement of existing CO2 leakage measures by the CBAM could lead to significant uncertainty, disrupting long-term investment decisions already taken based on the recently revised 2030 targets. It could also reduce the industry’s capacity to invest in low-carbon technologies and become a barrier to competition for access to third markets. Therefore, where necessary, the current rate of free allowance should be retained initially to enable CBAM covered industries to become more carbon efficient followed by a gradual reduction in free allowances, until the new measure has proved its effectiveness , to facilitate further decarbonisation.
Meeting European demands for documentation will be challenging for producer countries and regions, not least for farmers and smallholders. The EESC considers that the cost of the proposed regulation should not be transferred to small-scale farmers who are barely earning a living income.

Europe must engage with producer countries and offer its assistance and cooperation in the implementation of measures necessary to meet European requirements. The Commission should recognise the potential role of smallholders including women as agents of change, and should ensure the effective, free, meaningful, and informed participation of smallholders. Producers in poor countries should be given enough time to adapt.

The role of certification and the impact of the proposed regulation on farmers, including smallholders and local communities, must be assessed ex-ante and the conclusions from these assessments must be integrated in the regulation before its entry into force.
2.5.

Diverse legal and/or collective bargaining frameworks reflect the choice of each Member State to adopt and implement its own training policies and build on existing financing mechanisms. In this manner, an individual learning account can only be one of the approaches and financial tools considered by EU Member States and social partners. A one-size-fits all approach will not work and Member States’ different training systems and distinctive sectoral traits must be respected. The decision on whether or not to adopt the ILA as one of the mechanisms for providing and financing training must remain fully within the competence of the Member States in the same way the training market is regulated at national level. The EESC underlines that Member States, in consultation with social partners, also have the freedom to decide not to adopt an ILA approach and could instead adapt or further develop their existing approaches to training provision.
3.6.

The EESC supports the adaptation of previous dissuasive barriers to accessing ELTIFs for retail investors. Given the huge amount of savings which cannot today benefit from the returns on long-term investments, it is an important move, especially in a context of low (although in some cases rising) interest rates and of inflationary pressures. In terms of protection of investors, providing a broader spectrum of eligible assets and investment strategies is of great importance and will be more efficient than the detailed restrictions from 2015, which had the drawback of severely limiting the offer of funds to investors, both institutional and retail. The EESC welcomes the new strong link with the mandatory ‘suitability assessments’ under the MiFID II Directive as well as the clarification of the rules on conflicts of interest. The EESC also strongly reiterates its numerous previous calls for investor education to be developed everywhere in Europe.
3.8.

In particular, the EESC is more than irritated by the fact that, as in previous reports, key objectives of the European Energy Union are once again either not addressed or only marginally addressed in this report. It should be remembered, among other things, that our wish was to reduce import dependency, put citizens at the heart of the Energy Union, and make the EU the world’s number one in renewable energy. One should expect that the annual State of the Energy Union reports will also analyse these key issues centrally and clearly identify possible flaws so that new initiatives can be developed where necessary. This report falls far short of this. For example, the issue of the development of civic energy, which is important for the EESC, is woefully neglected. The EESC expects the Commission to make clear statements on this in separate chapters in the 2022 report.
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending and correcting Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to alleviate the consequences of the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine on fishing activities and to mitigate the effects of the market disruption caused by that military aggression on the supply chain of fishery and aquaculture products

(COM(2022) 179 — 2022/0118 COD)

(2022/C 323/25)

Referral Council, 25.4.2022 European Parliament, 2.5.2022 Legal basis Articles 43(2), 175 and article 304 of the TFEU Section responsible Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment Adopted at plenary 18.5.2022 Plenary session No 569 Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions) 188/2/2

In view of the short deadlines and the necessary character of the EC initiative, the Committee decided, at its 569th plenary session of 18 and 19 May 2022 (meeting of 18 May), by 188 votes in favour, 2 votes against and 2 abstentions, not to draw up a substantial opinion but to formally endorse the proposal.
While the participation of women in labour markets has increased in the last decade, there is still a clear gender segregation (1). Inequalities in access to education and economic opportunities for women persist, although Europe has the lowest rates of inequality — with some differences between Western and Eastern Europe — compared to other parts of the world (2). The EESC has also called for prompt measures to eradicate the gender pay and pension gaps in all areas and sectors, notably through binding pay transparency measures (3), and stresses that the former aggravates the latter, to which women are particularly vulnerable. Moreover, cultural context and traditional stereotypes affect women's occupational choices. Far more women than men work, for example, in education, care, health, and social sectors, while men dominate sectors such as construction and heavy industries.

While the participation of women in labour markets has increased in the last decade, there is still a clear gender segregation (1). Inequalities in access to education and economic opportunities for women persist, although Europe has the lowest rates of inequality — with some differences between Western and Eastern Europe — compared to other parts of the world (2). The EESC has also called for prompt measures to eradicate the gender pay and pension gaps in all areas and sectors, notably through promoting pay transparency measures (3), and stresses that the former aggravates the latter, to which women are particularly vulnerable. Moreover, cultural context and traditional stereotypes affect women's occupational choices. Far more women than men work, for example, in education, care, health, and social sectors, while men dominate sectors such as construction and heavy industries.
3.1.13.

The EESC essentially welcomes the fact that the designated Member State authorities are to be empowered to collect information from the industry that will enable them to obtain an overview of delivery and value creation chains, as well as of the key players therein. It would be a good idea to make such information collection uniform throughout the EU, so that businesses do not have to adjust their responses to different requirements in every Member State. This would keep red tape to a minimum. To this end, it makes sense to consider integrated production facilities and open EU foundries to be in the public interest. It also makes sense to encourage Member States to set up national support programmes and authorisation procedures. Since the information thus obtained may contain sensitive data, it is important to keep it confidential. In particular, there should be transparency as to what happens with the data requested.
4.4

It should be noted that the role of hydrogen looks promising (although its cost, and security and transport issues, diminish its potential considerably). Hydrogen is an energy vector which does not emit greenhouse gases if produced using a decarbonised source. It also has many (mainly industrial) uses, such as local electricity production (supplying isolated sites, emergency generators), energy storage (support for the network, using renewable energies) or cogeneration. It is also used in land transport (individual vehicles, public transport, heavy goods vehicles, etc.), air transport (main or auxiliary aircraft propulsion), marine or water transport (submarines, main or auxiliary propulsion), refineries and the petrochemical industry (for green hydrogen), and has other uses, in particular portable appliances (external chargers or integrated batteries). This is all currently under development. Techniques for producing hydrogen from electrolysis and fuel cells are now very flexible and widely available, although they remain inefficient — which increases the demand for wind turbines or solar panels even further and therefore overcapacity in this area. Hydrogen is an essential energy vector in systems which make use of the flexibility between different energy networks (e.g. the Hybrid Power Plant in Berlin). Where necessary, hydrogen (‘methanised’ hydrogen) can be produced from renewable electricity to be injected into gas networks, or stored for distribution as fuel or chemical agent. It can even be re-injected as electricity. Methanised hydrogen — which has by far the greatest energy storage potential, can be transported safely and can be stored (for long periods) in current gas infrastructure (geological storage, etc.) — can also be used to form long-chain hydrocarbons (which have multiple applications: from aviation fuel to other products such as plastics, which are currently only made using fossil fuels). Moreover, the carbon ideally present in a circular economy (CO2 etc.), will be reused and will not accumulate in the atmosphere. This therefore constitutes a move from greenhouse gas production to energy production. Interest in these solutions will be further increased by the potential to make use of the heat generated by the exothermic processes of hydrogen production and producing electricity from hydrogen. Hydrogen is thus one of the rare energy vectors to enable economic, societal and environmental arbitration between the electricity market and other energies.
5.5.

A major advantage of the proposed financial mechanism is the synergy it would bring about with the existing regulatory framework. In particular, control mechanisms under the proposed financial mechanism would work very well with existing control mechanisms under the EU SRR, such as the site inspections of facilities to take place prior to and after their inclusion on the European list. The licences could also be included on the list of certificates which are to be checked regularly by port state control as part of pre-existing obligations. Similarly, the already existing European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) appears to be best suited to fulfil the tasks of inspection and the issuing of licences, whereas one of the European financial institutions like the European Investment Bank (EIB) or the European Investment Fund (EIF) would appear to be best placed to administer the income from a possible SRL. The EESC urges the Commission to also assess any risk for EU trading partners to see the proposal as anti-competitive interference into the conduct of international shipping.
5.2.1.2.

The EESC (11) believes that the applicability of EU law must be taken into account from the very beginning of the legislative cycle, when impact assessments are being carried out. Despite the progress achieved so far, the European impact assessment (IA) ecosystem must continue to evolve. The EESC proposes several areas of improvement in order to strengthen the quality of IAs, including transparent, accessible, and diverse specifications for studies relating to IAs, an enlargement of the European register of IAs, and a qualitative approach and converging methodological approach at the level of the research matrix of the different EU institutions. In the future, the Committee should also provide an analysis of some impact assessments (regarding subjects on which the Committee holds a strong position), review methodological issues and provide an opinion on whether economic, social, environmental and regional aspects are taken into account at the latter stages of the legislative cycle. This would also facilitate any EESC work on opinions requested of it on draft legislation to which these same impact assessments relate.
3.1.

The problem of accommodation for the elderly is complex and sensitive. Any approach to this issue should systematically prioritise an individual’s choice, as well as dialogue with their family and those close to them. A well-founded policy on housing for the elderly should take into account the following factors: — housing ages alongside its occupants. Costs relating to occupying unsuitable accommodation could become a factor in impoverishment, social marginalisation and the deterioration of health; — The choice can no longer be between live-in care and residential care homes. Alternative facilities exist. Their respective social and economic potential should be assessed and the facilities that need to be set up should be defined based on people’s profiles and the illnesses they suffer from (day centres, night care facilities, community centres aimed at facilitating independent living, etc.); — A distinction should be made between ‘cognitive impairments’ and the inability to function independently; — Grouping elderly people together in one place does not offer any cognitive advantages and the relationship between the mental and physical health of older people has now been scientifically proven; — Grouping elderly people together and taking over their care completely significantly increases their risk of becoming withdrawn and less resilient. This inevitably leads to medical treatment and an increased use of medication.
4.1.2.

All Europeans should have access to secure, sustainable and affordable energy. This is the primary objective of the Energy Union. The EESC voices its disappointment at the significant differences in energy prices across Member States, revealing a major failure in the Single Energy Market . With the implementation of the EU Energy Union and the Single Digital Market, it expects prices, except for the tax component, to converge. Human-centric digitalisation of the energy sector is crucial for the EU, since it can enable energy consumers and prosumers to be at the centre of the issue and contributes to a new design for energy markets.
3.2.

There are already a number of examples of effective cooperation between platforms and tax authorities in the transport sector; Estonia, for instance, has adopted provisions to make it easier for drivers belonging to car pooling platforms to fill out their tax declarations. Estonia has also come up with another innovative solution: identifying a minimal and proportionate amount of data which has to be communicated to the authorities and enabling platform operators to have a dedicated current account for paying taxes. This current account promotes direct and rapid communication between operators, their banks and the tax authorities. On the other hand, in some regions online platforms have demonstrated a lack of willingness to work with the financial authorities.
5.2.

There are currently many examples in the EU of unjustified differentiation in the rights of people with disabilities and, therefore, discrimination against them. For example: — a person with citizenship of two EU Member States could, depending on the identity document they chose, either vote completely independently or be deprived of the right to vote due to their intellectual disability; — a person who is bedridden and requiring 24-hour care cannot vote because they are unable to get to the polling station and there is no other possibility of voting in the country of residence. However, if the same person lived in another EU country, they could vote freely by post, at a mobile ballot box or by internet; — a blind person in one Member State can vote fully independently, without any support whatsoever, but if they lived in another country it would be impossible — they could only vote at a polling station with the assistance of another person; — someone who had Parkinson’s disease would be able to vote independently in a country where voting is based on making a simple graphic sign (e.g. ‘X’) or selecting the relevant card from a package of cards they have received, but in a country where it is necessary to write a number, name or surname legibly on the ballot would face an insurmountable barrier; — someone with serious mobility issues (e.g. requiring crutches or a wheelchair) would be able to choose a suitable polling station in some countries, while other countries do not allow free choice of polling stations, which often prevents such people from participating in elections. The EESC considers such situations unacceptable and contrary to the basic values of the EU and the provisions of the TEU.
3.8.

The megatrend of connected and automated cars could lead to a shift in value added from selling and servicing vehicles towards new disruptive business models based on data-enabled services and mobility as a service. The automotive ecosystem must be prepared for entering and securing its presence in these new business models. This will require technological and regulatory standards to provide new innovative mobility services such as pay per use, location-based advertising, distance updates/maintenance of vehicles. Building a European mobility data space will also be key in securing European leadership in digital mobility services. It will also be necessary to deploy the requisite digital communications infrastructure and to design roadmaps for increasing levels of automation (including a framework for large-scale testing, access to data, and a new approach to the type approval of vehicles). Furthermore, the long-term impact of increasingly automated vehicles, in particular on jobs and ethical issues, needs to be assessed as this will be important to ensure social acceptance. Finally, as freight transport may intensify in the future (e-commerce), intelligent transport mobility solutions need to be developed based on the multimodal organisation of transport, cost-efficiency (high-capacity vehicle combinations), and sustainable transport modes, using automation and connectivity solutions in the logistics chain.
4.3.

The dramatic situation of the war in Ukraine shows us that these financial instruments must be designed to be flexible and comprehensive enough so that they can be used quickly in crisis situations that arise globally and especially in the vicinity of the European Union. Crises in the immediate vicinity are addressed as a matter of priority in order to minimise the threat to the security of the Member States, and this requires, among other things, the timely allocation of financial resources for urgent interventions to restore the functionality of interconnection infrastructure and of the essential public services for the population.