Check here for information on our latest news and events.

Upcoming Events:

Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) has just launched a web consultation to solicit views from the broader transatlantic business community as they prepare for the next meeting of the Transatlantic Economic Council. The date for the TEC meeting has yet to be confirmed. The web consultation will remain open for comments until May 15^th, during which time all submissions will be posted to the TABD TEC webpage upon receipt.

On Thursday, May 7 and 13,  TABD will host TEC Stakeholder’s Meetings in Washington, D.C. and Brussels for a discussion on TABD recommendations for the upcoming TEC. The discussion will focus on submissions received at that point during the currently ongoing Industry Consultation.

TABD Events: TEC Stakeholders’ Meetings

WASHINGTON MEETING
Date and time: Thursday, May 7, 3:00-4:30 pm
Location: Deloitte, 555 12th Street, NW, Ste 500,Washington, DC 20006

BRUSSELS MEETING
Date and time: Thursday, May 13, 3:00-5:00 pm
Location: Residence Palace, 155 rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels.

If you are interested in attending please contact hkaplan@N0SPAM.tabd.com .

New Developments/Reports: 

Units of Measurement: On December 16, 2008, the European Parliament (EP) voted in favor of adoption of the common position which amends the existing "metrics only" legislation (80/181/EEC). The amendment indefinitely extends the use of supplementary units of measurement, such as pounds and inches. By granting this extension, the Commission, Council and EP are effectively removing a barrier to trade which would have seriously hampered transatlantic trade as of January 1, 2010 when the units of measurement directive was supposed to enter into force.  With the adoption of the common position by the Council and the European Parliament in second reading, years of lobbying by industry and government have reached a successful conclusion. The directive was published in the Official Journal on May 7, 2009.

EC Defense Package Approved:  Two new EU Directives recently approved by the European Parliament are expected to be officially endorsed soon by the EU Council of Ministers. This package of measures is aimed at laying the foundations for a European defense marketplace and rationalize defense acquisition processes. First, a Directive on Defense Procurement will introduce common procedures for the procurement of military and sensitive nonmilitary security equipment. After being transposed into the national laws of the member States, US bidders on defense and security contracts will have to abide by the new EU Directive. Second, the Directive on Intra-EU Transfers of Defence-Related Products introduces new pan-European Licenses that will ease the circulation of defense equipment in the EU and proposes new conditions for the certification of defense companies in the EU.  Ask for our reports on these two EU Directives (see the Market Research reports section) isabelle.maelcamp@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

REACH Enforcement Project Begins: The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced April 30 that national inspectors would begin checking pre-registrations, registrations, and safety data sheets of European importers and producers to ensure compliance with the European Union’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical substances) legislation. Inspectors will focus on phase-in substances (existing substances) and check through inspections whether companies have submitted a pre-registration or a registration and whether a Safety Data Sheet has been supplied. According to the Netherlands Competent Authority overseeing implementation of REACH, inspectors will issue warnings to companies in non-compliance, with fines administered for future violations. Ashley.Miller@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov , flavie.guerin@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov
http://echa.europa.eu/doc/press/pr_09_05_enforcement_project_forum%20_20090430.pdf 

Energy Performance of Buildings:  On April 23, the European Parliament (EP) approved amendments to draft legislation on the energy performance of buildings, which determined that by 2019 all new buildings in the EU will have to produce more renewable energy than they consume. The EP also inserted a provision instructing the European Commission to create an EU energy efficiency fund by 2014 to finance efficiency improvements in buildings. Susana.Getman@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

EP Approves Harmonization of Cosmetics Legislation, Regulation of Nanomaterials: On March 24, the European Parliament (EP) endorsed an EP-European Council compromise text on a new Cosmetics Regulation.  The new legislation will replace 27 sets of national cosmetics regulations.  In addition to streamlining existing rules, the new Regulation introduces a safety assessment procedure for all cosmetic products containing nanomaterials, which could lead to a ban on a substance if there is a risk to human health. The EP inserted labeling requirements for cosmetics containing nanomaterials.  In addition, the new legislation is meant to strengthen manufacturer responsibility and market surveillance while at the same time cutting red tape.  The regulation will impose strict rules for the use of substances in cosmetics which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR). The use of those substances will be essentially forbidden and they will only be able to be used in exceptional cases under strict conditions.  The Regulation will enter into force 42 months after its publication in the EU's Official Journal.  The provisions on nanomaterials and CMR substances will apply from December 2010. Flavie.Guerin@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

New Portal for Easier Cross Border Business in the EU: The EU has launched ‘Your Europe - Business’ portal which gives entrepreneurs easy access to information on doing business in other EU Member States, it helps SMEs to take advantage of opportunities to trade and offer their services in the Single Market. It also gives direct access to e-government services (such as VAT refund procedures) and online administrative procedures in the EU Member States and gives companies a run-down of the business support services in a chosen country. http://europa.eu/youreurope/business

ECHA Publishes an Updated List of Pre-Registered Substances: The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced March 27 that an updated version of the list of substances pre-registered under REACH was published on the ECHA website. The list contains around 143,000 substances which were pre-registered by 65,000 companies between 1 June and 1 December 2008. The agency said it does not expect all of the substances to be registered as the list, which was last updated December, 2008, contains a number of substances and articles that may not need to be registered or are ineligible for registration. The agency has not said when a final, edited version of the list will be available.  http://echa.europa.eu/doc/press/pr_09_03_list_prereg_substances_20090327.pdf 
Flavie.Guerin@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov , Ashley.Miller@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

France Sets Criminal Sanctions for Non-Compliance with REACH: The most serious breaches to the REACH chemicals regulation, such as the failure to register a substance or the failure to stop using a banned substance, could result in France in a prison sentence of up to two years or fines up to 75,000 Euros. The exact sanctions will be revealed in the French Official Journal in the coming days. Flavie.guerin@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Environmental Rules for Electrical and Electronic Equipment to be Overhauled: On December 3rd 2008, the European Commission published proposals for an overhaul of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in EEE) Directives. This is the first step in a lengthy legislative procedure that could see the proposals change significantly before adoption. Adoption could take as long as 18 months (summer 2010), and new rules will probably not take effect until 18 months after that (2011-2012). Please see our WEEE/RoHS pages for further information.

Energy using Products: On December 17, 2008, the Commission adopted and published the first implementing measure on standby energy consumption. The measure, one of many to come under the energy-using products directive 2005/23/EC, affects a broad range of household and office appliances such as television and computers. Manufacturers will have to lower their product's energy consumption in standby mode to a certain watt level in two stages. By 2020, the Commission estimates an energy reduction by 73% as a result of the measure. For an update please visit our new webpage. louis.santamaria@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov , sylvia.mohr@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Market Research Report on EU Automotive Framework Directive: The market research report covers regulatory requirements applicable to cars and car components to be exported to the European Union (EU) based on the new Motor Vehicle Framework Directive 2007/46/EC (MVFD).   The recently adopted MVFD takes an important step towards further regulatory harmonization and broadens the scope of existing legislation, extending approval requirements to nearly all road vehicles.  Its changes do not immediately enter into force; instead, a phased-in enforcement period exists, stretching from April 2009 to October 2014 depending on the category of vehicle in question.  In the meantime, existing directive 70/156/EEC and amendments remain in force. For information http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/automotive/directives/vehicles/2007_46_ce.html or  sylvia.mohr@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

“Export Helpdesk” for developing countries: The European Union website allows a search for standards/regulations by product customs code. Since standards/regulations are the same for all exporters – developed and developing – it could be a good start for further research.  http://exporthelp.europa.eu/, Sylvia.Mohr@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov