No end to noxious fumes – EUbusiness Week newsletter 843 – EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 843 top stories: Economic growth forecast cut amid global uncertainty; Brussels welcomes speedier responses to hate speech; Lawmakers vote to tighten checks on unsafe products; EU company law set to go digital; New derivatives rules to reduce costs, regulatory burdens; New plans for accessing health data across EU borders

Publisher’s Note

A European Court of Auditors report this week finds many improvements since the 2015 Dieselgate scandal, when some car makers were found to be using ‘defeat devices’ to produce significantly lower emissions during official tests than during normal driving. New testing procedures, new ways of measuring car emissions, improved market surveillance have been introduced. But as is often the case, their effectiveness depend on implementation by Member States. “It may take many years to improve inner-city air quality, given the large number of highly-polluting cars already on the roads,” says ECA Member Samo Jereb. We will be breathing in noxious fumes for some time yet.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Economic growth forecast cut amid global uncertainty

Trade tensions and the possibility of a disruptive Brexit are likely to contribute to a slowdown in Europe’s economy in 2019, the Commission said in its Winter Economic Forecast, outlined Thursday.
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2. Brussels welcomes speedier responses to hate speech

89 per cent of flagged content is removed by tech giants Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter within 24 hours and 72% of the content deemed to be illegal hate speech is removed, the EU reported on Monday.
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3. Lawmakers vote to tighten checks on unsafe products

EU lawmakers gave their approval Thursday to better enforcement of rules on products, tighter checks on the safety of goods sold in the EU, and improving the coordination of market surveillance.
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4. EU company law set to go digital

EU co-legislators agreed Monday on new rules to make it easier to establish a business electronically and promote online operations throughout a company’s lifecycle through the use of digital tools.
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5. New derivatives rules to reduce costs, regulatory burdens

The EU Parliament and states have reached political agreement on rules applying to non-financial counterparties, small financial counterparties and pension funds using financial derivative products.
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6. New plans for accessing health data across EU borders

The Commission has presented a set of recommendations for the creation of a secure system that will enable citizens to access their electronic health files across Member States.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Crime-US: the Commission recommended on 5 February engaging in two international negotiations on cross-border rules to obtain electronic evidence.
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Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU law firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Transparency and predictability at work – wider reuse of publicly funded data – Donald Tusk meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – updated rules for financial derivative products and clearing – cross-border distribution of investment funds – Interoperability between EU information systems – Code of conduct on business taxation – Demersal fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea – EU company law
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Commission Watch

Winter Economic Forecast – Science in 21st Century Policy-Making – Mergers: Commission prohibits Wieland-Aurubis-Schwermetall, Siemens-Alstom – rules for Commissioners taking part in European Parliament elections – secure health data across borders – Venezuela humanitarian aid – EU investment fund market – Montenegro: European Border and Coast Guard – EU rules for derivatives – international rules for obtaining electronic evidence – Countering illegal hate speech online – annual translation contest for schools
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Parliament Watch

Boosting workers’ rights – Safer products – Erasmus+ will finance existing UK-EU mobility in event of no-deal Brexit – MEPs and EU ministers agree on closing information gaps to enhance security – Deal on tightening the rules to stop terrorists from using homemade explosives – Setting up a company in the EU could become easier and cheaper – Solidarity Corps: more opportunities for young people
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EU diary

11-14 Feb: European Parliament plenary session
11 Feb: Eurogroup
12 Feb: Economic and Financial Affairs Council
14 Feb: International role of euro in the field of energy
15 Feb: Education, Youth, Culture & Sport Council
15 Feb: Implications of Brexit for civil society (EESC)
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary