Think Tank

The Commission’s implementing decision under Article 25(6) EMIR extends for three further years the current equivalence decision regarding the UK (i.e. to consider the regulatory framework applicable to central counterparties in the UK equivalent to the one applicable in the Union). The currently applicable equivalence decision is due to expire on 30 June 2025. The extension could disincentivise efforts to reduce excessive exposures to clearing services of substantial systemic importance provided ...

Poverty has many dimensions. Following recent crises, not least the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, some of poverty's known dimensions have evolved while new forms have emerged. Addressing poverty remains mainly the responsibility of EU countries' governments acting in complex national social settings. The EU meanwhile seeks to coordinate Member States' efforts and offers support in the form of funding and data. The new European Commission is stepping up efforts to meet the EU's ...

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 ...

The Black Sea's natural characteristics, its isolated position and the high percentage of waters where no life is possible, make it a unique and vulnerable place. Fisheries in the region face a number of challenges, including environmental issues such as pollution, over-exploitation, eutrophication, invasive species and climate change, that are linked directly to the sector's sustainability. The EU fleet comprises Bulgarian and Romanian vessels and is small compared with the other fleets in the region ...

This paper presents the latest findings and developments related to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), with a particular focus on stakeholder assessments of its structure, implementation and the economic impact. It summarises the perspectives of stakeholders at the EU, national, regional, and local levels concerning the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs). Notably, the paper compiles recent opinions and evaluations from EU stakeholders, as well as relevant institutions and bodies ...