Latest documents

Summary : This study was prepared by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee. Commercial, industrial and military applications of metaverse bring both opportunities as well as significant concerns for everyday life, health, work, and security. Legislative initiatives promoting fundamental principles of law, legislative and judicial oversight, applied comprehensively across a broad range of policies, are necessary to make sure that metaverse will play a positive role.

Authors : Mariusz MACIEJEWSKI

Summary : This study, commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, looks into the challenges and possible improvements of administrative cooperation between Member States, as regards cross-border enforcement of administrative fines and recovery claims. Legal instruments to facilitate transnational cooperation are necessary. Also the terms ‘fine’ and ‘recovery claim’ are often subject to different definitions in the Member States. Framework Decision 2005/214/JHA works for offenses regulated therein. Measures to improve cooperation are allowed by Article 82(1) TFEU but administrative authorities are regularly not judicial authorities. Amendments can be based on Article 114(1) TFEU if they serve to supplement provisions on information, service and enforcement assistance.

Authors : Prof. Dr. Marc RÖCKINGHAUSEN and Prof. Dr. Christof MUTHERS

Summary : This appraisal assesses two regulations for intellectual property rights applicable to the specific case of medicinal products and plant protection products – the Supplementary Protection Certificate Regulations (SPC Regulations for short). The analysis highlights the outcome of the European Commission's assessment, discrepancies in implementation between Member States, and the complexity of striking a balance between various interests, since both regulations aim to reconcile public health imperatives, the need to foster research and development, and the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. The initiative may either put in place a unitary supplementary protection certificate and/or a single ('unified') procedure for granting national supplementary protection certificates. The objective is to make supplementary protection certificates more accessible and efficient for the health sector.

Authors : MARIE-ASTRID HUEMER

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, analyses the implications of Brexit in relation to the profile of judicial cooperation in civil matters. It examines the existing legal framework in order to identify the areas of law in respect of which there is a gap in the relationship between the EU and the UK. It assesses the consequences of the UK's failure to accede to the 2007 Lugano Convention. Concludes that the conclusion of new treaties between the EU and the UK should be pursued in relation to those areas where there is a regulatory gap, with particular reference to the area of human rights.

Authors : Lotario Benedetto DITTRICH

Summary : On 7 December 2022, the Commission tabled a proposal for a directive aimed at enhancing and harmonising insolvency law in the EU. The proposal seeks to make it easier to recover assets from the liquidated insolvency estate; render insolvency proceedings more efficient; and ensure a predictable and fair distribution of recovered value among creditors. The directive would complement two recently adopted pieces of legislation, namely, the directive on pre-insolvency proceedings and debt discharge following insolvency proceedings, and the regulation on the determination of jurisdiction and applicable law for cross-border insolvency. In the European Parliament, the referral was announced in plenary on 26 January 2023, and the file was assigned to the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI). Parliament has expressed concern at the lack of harmonisation of insolvency law across the EU on several occasions in the framework of previous legislative procedures. First edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.

Authors : ISSAM HALLAK

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This European added value assessment seeks to support a European Parliament legislative own-initiative report on digitalisation and administrative law (2021/2161(INL)), asking the European Commission to present a legislative proposal on an EU law on administrative procedure. The study investigates the current state of play with regard to digitalisation and the use of digital tools in EU public administration. The analysis identifies five regulatory gaps and their impact on citizens and businesses. It presents three broad possible policy options for EU action that could address the identified gaps to some extent and generate positive impacts for citizens and businesses.

Authors : LENKA JANCOVA, MEENAKSHI FERNANDES

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, aims to provide an overview over Intellectual Property Rights and Distributed Ledger Technology with a focus on IP issues relating to art NFTs and tokenized physical art works.

Authors : Katharina Garbers-von Boehm, Helena Haag, Katharina Gruber

Summary : The IA is based on solid expertise, with ample information in 13 annexes, some of which form an integral part of the analysis (namely Annexes 5 and 12 for the problem definition and Annex 8 for the assessment of the options' impacts). The qualitative and quantitative assessment of the options is concise, balanced and logical. The IA is transparent regarding methods, assumptions and uncertainties in the analysis, which it addresses through a sensitivity analysis to ensure a robust evidence base. The impacts of all options are assessed against a set of 16 criteria and compared to the baseline in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and proportionality. The IA decides against options it considers disproportionate, such as an EU body to pre-approve sustainability labels. It highlights the importance of coherence with other complementary EU actions, but potential interactions could have been indicated in a more precise and structured manner, to better illustrate potential overlaps.

Authors : Esther KRAMER

Summary : This document is a compilation of briefings that track the commitments made by the Vice-Presidents and Commissioners to the European Parliament – in their written answers to Parliament’s questions, at their hearings, and, in some cases, in subsequent appearances before Parliament’s committees. The document provides an overview of the state-of-play at the mid-term of the von der Leyen Commission. Since many of these commitments were made, major international crises have shifted some political priorities. The Vice-Presidents’ and Commissioners’ progress on their commitments should be considered in this context.

Summary : This briefing follows up the commitments made by the commissioner in 2019.

Summary : This briefing follows up the commitments made by the commissioner since 2019.

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : The approach taken by the jurisprudence of the Polish courts, especially the Constitutional Tribunal, concerning the principle of the primacy of the EU law in relation to the Polish law and in particular to the Polish Constitution has changed substantially since Polish accession to the EU. The in-depth analysis evaluates three distinct periods in the jurisprudence of Polish Constitutional Tribunal. This study is commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee.

Authors : Frederyck Zoll

Summary : his in-depth analysis, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, looks at the use of data for the purpose of regulatory assessment/evaluation. The author finds that data is needed to support evidence-based regulation, that information technologies, and in particular AI, can enable a more extensive and beneficial use of data, and that the use of data in ex-post evaluations can improve the regulatory process. The in-depth analysis offers policy recommendations.

Authors : Giovanni SARTOR

Summary : This briefing, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, provides recommendations for better regulation in the EU by improving quality and reducing delays. It points at significant actual and potential benefits from EU legislative initiatives amounting to over €2,200bn as well as costs of slow Europe of €319 billion in lost annual benefits.

Authors : Siôn Jones, Greta Dohler, Luke Pate

Summary : This in-depth analysis commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, looks at the past and current developments in the EU better regulation agenda. The author finds that, despite important achievements that put the EU at the forefront in this field, many of the most ambitious reforms announced over the past few years are still far from complete. The in-depth analysis offers several policy recommendations.

Authors : RENDA Andrea

Summary : This study, commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament, explains the principle of the primacy of European Union law and its practical consequences, as established by the Treaty system and developed by Court of Justice case-law since 1964. It explains how Member State courts accept, interpret and apply the principle, subject to any limits.

Authors : Jacques Ziller

Summary : This study analyses recent developments in data related practice, law and policy as well as the current legal framework for data access, sharing, and use in the European Union. The study identifies particular issues of concern and highlights respective need for action. On this basis, the study evaluates the Commission’s proposal for a Data Act. The study is commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Legal Affairs.

Authors : Matthias Leistner, Lucie Antoine

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty (2009), the EU national parliaments have had the right to control the principle of subsidiarity through the Early Warning System (EWS). This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, examines how the EWS has worked over the past 12 years. It also looks into the interaction of the European Commission, local and regional entities, the Committee of the Regions and the Court of Justice of the EU with national parliaments to this end.

Authors : Diane FROMAGE

Summary : The IA covers two Commission proposals representing the biggest amendment to date of the Solvency II framework, which came into force in the EU in 2016. Important parts of the framework laid down in delegated and implementing acts will be updated by the Commission at a later stage. This IA builds on a broad consultation of stakeholders, and on extensive advice from the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). In addition to various reports from EIOPA including a holistic IA, the IA draws on a technical report from the JRC and an external study, which are adequately referenced and publicly accessible. The objectives are directly linked to the problems identified in the IA and their consequences. The Solvency II review aims to increase policyholders' protection as well as the insurers' contribution to the long-term green financing of the economy, to contribute to financial stability, and to preserve the international competitiveness of the EU insurance industry. The preferred options are in line with EIOPA's advice, except for the policy dimension related to proportionality, where the IA explains why the preferred option deviates from EIOPA's recommendation. The IA shows how the combination of preferred options is expected to contribute to the achievement of the objectives identified. The IA assesses and compares the potential impacts of the options presented to achieve these objectives in a systematic way. In addition, the IA describes the potential positive impact of the preferred options on SMEs. The IA also explains how the proposed Solvency II review is expected to improve proportionality and to simplify the regulatory framework. The IA mainly focuses on the economic impacts of the initiative. The main social impact assessed by the IA concerns the expected improvement of policyholder protection. Potential environmental impacts relating to enhanced green financing, could have been more clearly addressed in the IA.

Authors : VERONIQUE GIRARD

Summary : This study analyses the clarity and adaptability of EU environmental law and how these could be improved by means of regulatory options, by looking at four core EU environmental directives, in the field of water, air, nature and waste. Recommendations are made to improve the effectiveness of environmental law in European Union The research has been prepared at the request of the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs as asked by the Committee on Petitions (PETI).

Authors : Lorenzo Squintani

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : Sunset clauses in International Treaties account for numerous benefits. However, their entrenchment effect disproportionally burdens future policymakers. This is the case of the Energy Charter Treaty, which poses unique challenges for two main reasons. First, compared to other treaties, the ECT contains a 20-year sunset clause. Second, the treaty is a multilateral with a rigid amendment procedure, which empowers the entrenchment effect of that treaty. Within this context, the study explores the policy options to disengage from the ECT and the entrenchment effect of its sunset clauses.

Authors : Antonios Kouroutakis

Summary : Upon request by the Committee on Legal Affairs, this handbook, provided by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, summarises, in its first part, the EU legal framework on the incompatibilities and immunity of Members of the European Parliament. Based on national reports, the second part of the handbook gives an overview, for each EU Member State, of the relevant national provisions on the composition of national governments and parliaments as well as those on national parliamentary immunities. This handbook will be updated regularly based on information received; please hold as reference the date of edition.

Authors : Eeva PAVY

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, aims to provide an overview of cross-border enforcement of intellectual property rights in the EU with a particular emphasis on copyright and related rights in the online environment. The study provides a detailed analysis of the current situation of cross-border IPR enforcement and formulates various policy recommendations to improve current IPR enforcement options among MS.

Authors : Oleksandr BULAYENKO Giancarlo FROSIO Anna LAWRYNOWICZ-DREWEK Natasha MANGAL

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, provides an overview of women on board policies in the EU Member States. analyses, in more detail, policies and practices as well as their impact on women’s board presentation in Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. The study concludes by recommending a timely adoption of the adoption of the proposed Directive COM(2012) 614 final of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving the gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges and related measures.

Authors : Anja KIRSCH

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, provides an in-depth analysis of the policy and legal state-of-the-art concerning gender pay discrimination in the European Union. To this end, it builds on a comprehensive comparative study covering European countries (i.e., Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Iceland, and Spain), in order to conclusively design and develop specific policy recommendations to move towards a shared and well-informed solution to wage discrimination in the EU, especially in light of the European Commission's recently adopted proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Authors : Paola PROFETA, Maria Lucia PASSADO, Ximena CALÓ

Summary : Diese Studie, die von der Politischen Abteilung für Bürgerrechte und konstitutionelle Angelegenheiten des Europäischen Parlaments auf Ersuchen des JURI-Ausschusses in Auftrag gegeben wurde, analysiert Rechtsdefinitionen von strategischen Klagen gegen öffentliche Beteiligung (SLAPP) und bewertet die Vereinbarkeit einer Anti-SLAPP-Gesetzgebung mit EU-Recht. Es wird empfohlen, eine Anti-SLAPP-Richtlinie zu verabschieden sowie die Brüssel-Ia-Verordnung und die Rom-II-Verordnung neu zu fassen, um das Auftreten von SLAPP-Klagen zu begrenzen.

Authors : Justin BORG-BARTHET Benedetta LOBINA Magdalena ZABROCKA.

Summary : La présente étude, commandée par le département thématique des droits des citoyens et des affaires constitutionnelles du Parlement européen à la demande de la commission des affaires juridiques (JURI), analyse les définitions juridiques des poursuites stratégiques altérant le débat public (poursuites-bâillons) et évalue la compatibilité de la législation contre les poursuites-bâillons dans le droit européen. Il est recommandé l’adoption d’une directive contre les poursuites-bâillons et la refonte des règlements Bruxelles I bis et Rome II en vue de limiter l’incidence des poursuites-bâillons.

Authors : Justin BORG-BARTHET Benedetta LOBINA Magdalena ZABROCKA.

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI and PETI Committees, analyses the use of biometric techniques from an ethical and legal perspective. Biometric techniques raise a number of specific ethical issues, as an individual cannot easily change biometric features, and as these techniques tend to intrude into the human body and ultimately the human self. Further issues are more generally associated with large-scale surveillance, algorithmic decision making, or profiling. The study analyses different types of biometric techniques and draws conclusions for EU legislation

Authors : Christiane WENDEHORST, Yannic DULLER

Summary : The study addresses the regulation of targeted and behavioural advertising in the context of digital services. Marketing methods and technologies deployed in behavioural and target advertising are presented. The EU law on consent to the processing of personal data is analysed, in connection with advertising practices. Ways of improving the quality of consent are discussed as well as ways of restricting its scope as a legal basis for the processing of personal data. This study is commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee...

Authors : Giovanni SARTOR, Francesca LAGIOIA, Federico GALLI,

Summary : The study addresses the regulation of targeted and behavioural advertising in the context of digital services. Marketing methods and technologies deployed in behavioural and target advertising are presented. The EU law on consent to the processing of personal data is analysed, in connection with advertising practices. Ways of improving the quality of consent are discussed as well as ways of restricting its scope as a legal basis for the processing of personal data. This study is commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee.

Authors : Giovanni SARTOR, Francesca LAGIOIA, Federico GALLI

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI and PETI Committees, analyses the use of biometric techniques from an ethical and legal perspective. Biometric techniques raise a number of specific ethical issues, as an individual cannot easily change biometric features, and as these techniques tend to intrude into the human body and ultimately the human self. Further issues are more generally associated with large-scale surveillance, algorithmic decision making, or profiling. The study analyses different types of biometric techniques and draws conclusions for EU legislation.

Authors : Christiane WENDEHORST, Yannic DULLER.

Summary : The European Commission proposed to improve sustainability reporting by revising the non-financial reporting directive 2014/95/EU. The accompanying impact assessment (IA) provides a well-defined problem that is substantiated with evidence, a clear set of objectives that correspond to the problems identified and makes effort to cover SMEs in the consultation strategy. Overall, the evidence used in the IA seems recent and reliable. However, the IA has not set any concrete targets, indicators or timelines for achieving its objectives. The range of options in the IA appears rather imbalanced, the analysis has been predominantly economic and has focused on the effectiveness of meeting the specific objectives and their costs, while the discussion of benefits has remained rather descriptive. Environmental impacts seem to have been completely excluded, the costs of indirect effects on SMEs in the supply chains of large companies have not been quantified and the benefits for listed SMEs have not been elaborated on.

Authors : Vera VIKOLAINEN

Summary : The Commission is proposing a new Artificial Intelligence Act laying down rules harmonised rules on AI. This initial appraisal of the Commission’s impact assessment on the proposal notes how the impact assessment the impact assessment banks on a wealth of available research on the topic at hand and uses numerous sources to underpin the discussion. It observes that the impact assessment offers a diverse and realistic range of options and traces a clear intervention logic connecting the problems and their drivers with the specific objectives and the policy options.

Authors : HUBERT DALLI

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This At a glance of the study with the same title, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, analyses legal definitions of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and assesses the compatibility of anti-SLAPP legislation with EU law. It is recommended that an anti-SLAPP Directive should be adopted, and that the Brussels Ia Regulation and Rome II Regulation should be recast to limit the incidence of SLAPPs.

Authors : Justin BORG-BARTHET Benedetta LOBINA Magdalena ZABROCKA.

Summary : This study addresses the fate of environmental liability and environmental crime under mergers and acquisitions. It analyses whether environmental liability is passed on, either to a successor or to a parent company. Also the role of companies in the Environmental Crime Directive is analysed with specific attention to succession of companies. Particular attention is given to the concept of ecocide. The study concludes that in case of a merger or acquisition environmental obligations are passed on to the acquiring company. However, there is still the risk that corporations could organise their own insolvency. This can be remedied by imposing mandatory solvency guarantees. Criminal liability of an enterprise can in many legal systems also be transferred to the successor company.

Authors : Michael G. FAURE

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, analyses legal definitions of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and assesses the compatibility of anti-SLAPP legislation with EU law. It is recommended that an anti-SLAPP Directive should be adopted, and that the Brussels Ia Regulation and Rome II Regulation should be recast to limit the incidence of SLAPPs.

Authors : Justin BORG-BARTHET Benedetta LOBINA Magdalena ZABROCKA.

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : After carrying out a comparative analysis of the main laws on non-profit organizations in force in some selected European countries, the Study discusses a potential legislative initiative of the European Union on the subject, presenting the different options available and concluding that the European Union should introduce a European status not limited to non-profit organizations but aimed, more generally, at including related organizations such as those of the third sector and the social economy.

Authors : Prof. Antonio FICI

Summary : The study examines the potential EU added value of the policy options (encouraging cross-border transactions, enhancing social outcomes and increasing economic contributions) as well as the drawbacks. In addition, the assessment highlights supporting non-legislative measures that could promote specific NPO functions in the EU.

Authors : KLAUS MULLER, MEENAKSHI FERNANDES

Summary : A responsible TPLF regulatory framework should aim at lowering costs, simplifying unnecessary procedures, increasing the predictability of costs, and delivering efficient services at costs that are proportionate to the amounts in dispute. We explored additional effective safeguards and a number of policy options regarding the contractual, ethical and procedural aspects of TPLF. We then estimated the European added value (EAV) for two alternatives, namely a moderate and a strong regulatory approach scenario using a standard benefits-costs analytical conceptual framework.

Authors : KLAUS MULLER, JEROME LEON SAULNIER

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, explores the concept of “Rights of Nature” (RoN) and its different aspects in legal philosophy and international agreements, as well as in legislation and case-law on different levels. The study delves on the ideas of rights of nature in comparison with rights to nature, legal personhood and standing in court for natural entities, and analyses ECtHR and CJEU case-law on access to justice in environmental decision-making. It emphasises, in particular, the need to strengthen the requirements for independent scientific evaluations in certain permit regimes under EU law. The study also highlights the crucial importance of promoting the role of civil society as watchdog over the implementation of EU environmental law by way of a wider access to justice via both the national courts and the CJEU, which is also in line with the political priorities for delivering the European Green Deal.

Authors : Jan DARPÖ

Summary : This study analyses common terms in contracts of digital service providers, indicating when they could significantly distort the balance between the parties’ rights and obligations to the detriment of consumers and should, therefore, fall within the scope of the Unfair Contract Terms Directive. Further, the study discusses the particularities of the assessment of online transparency of terms of digital service providers and sanctions they could face if they breach the current consumer protection framework. Recommendations are made to improve the effectiveness of this framework by: introducing a black and grey list of unfair terms, strengthening current sanctions, and introducing new obligations for digital service providers.

Authors : Marco LOOS, Joasia LUZAK

Summary : In line with the European Green Deal, a key element to foster sustainable growth and finance the green transition will be to channel funding in economic activities that contribute to environmental, social and governance-related objectives. Directive 2014/95/EU on the disclosure of non-financial and diversity information (NFRD) has set the EU on a clear course towards greater business transparency and accountability on social and environmental issues. It helps to measure, monitor and manage companies' performance and their impact on society. However, as this briefing shows, the NFRD suffers from several deficiencies such as lack of comparability, reliability and relevance of non-financial information provided. The Commission therefore intends to review the NFRD in the first quarter of 2021.

Authors : Nora HAHNKAMPER-VANDENBULCKE

Summary : This comparative study - commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs - analyses the effectiveness of relevant rules, policies and practices within Member States regarding conflict of interest for top political appointment (Head of Government, Ministers and other high ranking officials). The research highlights the theoretical and practical aspects of the notion of conflict of interest, giving some policy recommendations

Authors : Christoph DEMMKE; Maros PAULINI; Jari AUTIONIEMI; Florian LENNER

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This in-depth analysis has been commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee in the context of the workshop to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. It looks into the implementation of the 1980 Convention, as regards the respect of autonomy of parts, validity of agreements and mediation, and describes, from a practitioner’s point of view, how the parents and children see the process. The paper concludes that in order to protect the interest of the child, the 1980 Convention should be maintained with restricted exceptions, but more should be done in terms of prevention. The new measures should include, in particular, harmonisation of the relocation proceedings and principles, enforceability of mediation agreements, and increasing of the autonomy of the parties through the inclusion of residence and custody plans in prenuptial agreements.

Authors : Adriana DE RUITER

Summary : Building on both European Union (EU) law and chosen Member States’ legislation, this study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee aims at understanding to what extent Member States are supporting the development and the implementation of CSR strategies in the business community, with particular focus on due diligence requirements. It also attempts at providing some recommendations aimed at possibility developing a comprehensive and structured approach to CSR for the whole of the EU.

Authors : Kletia Noti ; Prof. Federico Maria Mucciarelli; Dr Virginia dalla Pozza; Carlo Angelici Mattia PILLININI.

Summary : This in-depth analysis, commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Legal Affairs in the context of the Workshop to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, examines the way in which subject children feature within Convention proceedings. It considers the aims of the Convention, and the lack of supranational control of its application. It draws on empirical research relating to the effects and consequences of child abduction to discuss the opportunities for children and young people to participate within Convention proceedings, and highlights the international obligations for such participation within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and other regional instruments. Different jurisdictional approaches are explained, and the role of culture in this context is probed. The impact of COVID-19 on abducted children is also explored.

Authors : Marilyn FREEMAN

Summary : Environemtnal damage. For an implementation of the companies' liability. Remedial perspectives

Authors : Roberta Landi

Summary : This in depth analysis explores different possibilities of updating the ELD directive in relation to the environmental responsibility of companies and seeks to highlight the basic policy choices and options in order to ensure a high protection of the environment

Authors : Lucas BERGKAMP

Summary : This document provides links to all Briefings produced by the Policy Departments of the Directorate-General for Internal Policies and of the Directorate-General for External Policies of the European Parliament, with salient points and essential commitments made by the Vice-Presidents and Commissioners-designates at their respective hearings before the European Parliament, in September-November 2019 and in October 2020. For an exhaustive list of all commitments made and positions taken by the candidates, the full verbatim report of each public hearing is available on the dedicated hearings website of the European Parliament, as are the written questions and answers.

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, addresses automated filtering of online content. The report introduces automated filtering as an aspect of moderation of user-generated materials. It presents the filtering technologies that are currently deployed to address different kinds of media, such as text, images, or videos. It discusses the main critical issues under the present legal framework and makes proposals for regulation in the context of a future EU Digital Services Act.

Authors : Prof. Giovanni Sartor and Dr. Andrea Loreggia

Summary : This study – commissioned by the Policy Department C at the request of the Committee on Legal Affairs – analyses the notion of AI-technologies and the applicable legal framework for civil liability. It demonstrates how technology regulation should be technology-specific, and presents a Risk Management Approach, where the party who is best capable of controlling and managing a technology-related risk is held strictly liable, as a single entry point for litigation. It then applies such approach to four case-studies, to elaborate recommendations.

Authors : Andrea BERTOLINI, Ph.D., LL.M. (Yale) Assistant Professor of Private Law, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa) Director of the Jean Monnet - European Centre of Excellence on the Regulation of Robotics and AI (EURA)

Summary : This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, aims at gaining deeper insights into the environmental liability of companies in the European Union. It analyses the role of companies within the Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) and pays attention to potential hurdles that may limit the possibility to hold companies liable for environmental harm. Various remedies to the limited liability of the corporation are discussed and suggestions are formulated to improve access to justice for victims of environmental harm. Specific attention is paid to a balanced regime of mandatory solvency guarantees to support the ELD liabilities of companies.

Authors : Prof. Dr. Michael G. Faure, Professor of comparative and international environmental law, at Maastricht University and Professor of comparative private law and economics, at Erasmus School of Law in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Summary : This study presents the 2018 and 2019 Country-Specific Recommendations as adopted by the Council and their implementation based on the assessment by the European Commission in its Country Reports of 27 February 2019, 05 June 2019 and 26 February 2020. This study was provided by the Economic Governance Support Unit (EGOV).

Authors : Jost ANGERER, OVIDIU IONUT TURCU, KRISTINA GRIGAITE

Summary : Upon request by the Committee on Legal Affairs, this handbook, provided by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, summarises, in its first part, the EU legal framework on the incompatibilities and immunity of Members of the European Parliament. Based on national reports, the second part of the handbook gives an overview, for each EU Member State, of the relevant national provisions on the composition of national governments and parliaments as well as those on national parliamentary immunities. This handbook will be updated regularly based on information received; please hold as reference the date of edition.

Authors : Roberta PANIZZA, Eeva PAVY

Summary : Great Britain has recently made known that it does not intend to apply the International Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA).

Authors : Udo BUX

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Summary : This document is a compilation of all Briefings produced by the Policy Departments of the Directorate-General for Internal Policies and of the Directorate-General for External Policies of the European Parliament, with salient points and essential commitments made by the Vice-Presidents and Commissioners-designates at their respective hearings before the European Parliament, in September-November 2019 and in October 2020. For an exhaustive list of all commitments made and positions taken by the candidates, the full verbatim report of each public hearing is available on the dedicated hearings website of the European Parliament, as are the written questions and answers.

Summary : This briefing includes a series of quotes, which make reference to the oral commitments made during the hearing of Vice-President-designate for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič.

Authors : Giorgio Mussa, Roberta PANIZZA

Summary : The commissioner-designate, Didier Reynders, appeared before the European Parliament on 02 October 2019 to answer questions from MEPs in the Committees on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. During the hearing, he made a number of commitments which are highlighted in this document. These commitments refer to his portfolio, as described in the mission letter sent to him by Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission, including: Upholding the rule of law; and Justice and consumer protection.

Authors : Udo BUX, Ottavio MARZOCCHI

Summary : This In-depth Analysis resumes the possible scenarios concerning several Intellectual Property provisions of EU and international law in the event of a withdrawal of the United Kingdom with or without a proper withdrawal agreement. It tries to clarify the question how Brexit may affect the entry into force of the new European Patent with Unitary effect (EPUE), especially, if the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) can enter into force, even in case the UK has withdrawn from the EU. What would be the necessary steps to be taken by the EU in order to ensure the functioning of the future European Unitary patent and in case the UPC Agreement would have to be revised because of Brexit.

Authors : Udo BUX