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A common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the European Union
According to Directive 2008/115/EC, third-country nationals staying illegally on the territory of a European Union (EU) Member State should, as a general rule, be issued a return decision obliging them to leave the EU. However, available data suggest that, among those who receive such a decision, only about a quarter actually leave the EU. The limited effectiveness of the return policy is due to several challenges that the EU and Member States face when carrying out return procedures, including difficulties ...
Commission proposal for a revised Facilitation Directive: Targeted substitute impact assessment
This study constitutes a targeted substitute impact assessment of the Commission’s proposal for a revised Facilitation Directive (COM(2023) 755), presented on 28 November 2023 as part of a package to address migrant smuggling. It provides a critical review of the existing legal and policy framework at EU level and its shortcomings regarding transposition and implementation. It also undertakes a critical and thorough appraisal of the proposed objectives and measures in terms of coherence, effectiveness ...
Maternity and paternity leave in the EU
This infographic aims to present the current maternity and paternity leave situation in EU Member States. Most EU countries also grant an additional period of parental leave, but parental leave is not covered in this infographic.
Planned revision of the EU Return Directive
According to Directive 2008/115/EC (the Return Directive, RD), third-country nationals (TCNs) staying illegally on the territory of a Member State should, as a general rule, be issued a return decision obliging them to leave the EU. However, available data suggest that among those who receive such a decision, only about a quarter actually leave the EU (see Figure 1). Data on irregular migration, as well as returns statistics, should be used carefully, as they are often incomplete, inconsistent and ...
Revised Product Liability Directive
As products have become more complex in the digital age, the need for a new directive on liability of defective products has arisen. The new directive will revise the existing Product Liability Directive, adopted nearly 40 years ago in 1985. The directive brings the European Union's product liability regime up to speed with the digital age, circular economy business models and global value chains by ensuring that consumers receive compensation for defective products, including those manufactured ...
Package travel and linked travel arrangements: Improving protection for travellers
On 29 November 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a directive amending Directive (EU) 2015/2302 on package travel and linked travel arrangements, to improve protection for travellers and simplify and clarify certain aspects of the current directive. The Commission announced in a 2020 communication on a new consumer agenda that it would look into revising the directive following the turmoil caused by the mass cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal is the result ...
Council directive on equal treatment: Potential European added value
In June 2024, the Belgian Council Presidency put forward a compromise proposal for a new Council directive on equal treatment and it won the support of a broad majority of Member States. The proposed law calls for the EU acquis on non-discrimination and equality to be extended to four new grounds beyond the area of employment (religion or belief, age, sexual orientation and disability). This briefing looks into what might be the European added value of such a directive. While most Member States already ...
Cross-border enforcement of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive
The 2019 Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive sought to address imbalances in bargaining power between suppliers and buyers of agricultural products. The directive was primarily aimed at protecting farmers, as a weaker party, selling their products to big supermarkets and food processing companies. However, experience has shown that the directive does not always provide a sufficient legal basis for mutual assistance in cross-border investigations. The Commission's proposal for a new regulation ...
Revision of the Port State Control Directive
On 1 June 2023, the European Commission presented a legislative package to modernise and reinforce maritime rules on safety and pollution prevention. It contains proposals to revise five legal acts, including the Port State Control Directive (PSCD). The aim is to update them to bring them into line with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization and the regional organisation for port state control, set up under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The proposal refers to the ...
Right to clean drinking water in the EU
Provision of clean drinking water, a vital resource and a public good, is considered a matter of public health. Many Europeans already have access to clean and safe drinking water at an affordable price. However, emerging issues such as water scarcity, droughts and the presence of chemical substances or microplastics in water are crystallising societal and environmental concerns. The European Commission is due to make a statement on the right to clean drinking water in the EU during the Ϸվ's ...