Check here for information on our latest news and events.

New Developments/Reports: 

New requirement for U.S. exporters of Machines: As of December 29, 2009 when the new Machine Safety Directive (2006/42/EC) becomes mandatory, U.S. exporters of machines will need to identify a person established in the European Union who is authorized to keep the manufacturer’s technical file or have quick access to it. This person’s name must appear on the declaration of conformity along with the name and address of the manufacturer. The person could be no more than a letterbox, a point of contact for the authorities in case there are questions about conformity of the machine or about accidents. The person based in Europe could be the importer/distributor, a lawyer, an authorized representative, or any other person. The manufacturer remains responsible for compiling the technical file. The technical file does not have to be physically in the EU but should be rapidly accessible in case of need. This requirement is an example of the beefed up surveillance and enforcement the EU is putting into effect to back up the CE marking program.

Four new EUP implementing measures adopted: with the recent publication of four new regulations to improve energy efficiency of energy-using products, the total number of implementing measures adopted through a comitology procedure now amounts to nine. The new measures affect glandless standalone and glandless circulators, household refrigerating appliances, televisions and electric motors. All implementing measures establish eco-design criteria such as limit values and offer measurement guidance. Manufacturers can self-certify to these requirements. Member states are to follow the verification procedure described in the Annex whenever they decide to inspect compliance. Where possible, the text contains benchmarking values. (pages 26-53 in Official Journal L191 dated 23 July 2009 - or visit our EUP webpage Sylvia.Mohr@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Your Voice in Europe:  Do you want to be involved in shaping European policy? Take part in an open public consultation. The European Commission is interested in hearing your opinions and learning from your experiences. Your Voice in Europe also allows you to take part in discussions with EU leaders and share your experiences with how EU policies work in practice. To access these tools and more information, click here.

All companies need EORI: As of July 1, 2009, nearly all companies doing business in the EU or companies exporting to the EU will need an Economic Operator Registration and Identification number (EORI) as EORI numbers are required for Customs Declarations and to apply for Authorised Economic Operator status.  Member states may have different procedures for applying for EORI numbers and exporters will be required to register for EORI in the first member state they do business in after July 1.  However, once a company has an EORI it will be valid throughout the EU customs union and is expected to expedite customs processing.  Any companies that do not have EORI number or do not know if they have one should be sure to check the EU Customs page that explains who is impacted by Authorised Economic Operator and EORI here. 
John.Fay@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

REACH Guidance Documents: The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on June 23 ublished new simplified guidance documents. These documents cover some of same topics as the more formal and longer guidance documents, but are meant to be more business-friendly and target audiences in small and medium sized firms.  The first two "guidance in a nutshell" documents released cover three topics: substances covered under the REACH rules, what data needs to be registered, and requirements for handling dossiers.  Forthcoming simplified guidance will cover areas such as data sharing, monomers and polymers, research and development, classification and labeling as well as chemical safety assessments. Flavie.Guerin@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov , Ashley.Miller@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov
http://guidance.echa.europa.eu/index_en.htm

EU Taxation trends:  In June, The European Commission Taxation and Customs Union published an updated comprehensive analysis of tax levels in EU member states, including VAT.  The report provides a breakdown of the taxes by category in each member state and provides a list of recent tax policy changes for each country.  It also has several EU wide charts and allows for an easy comparison of actual and effective taxation rates across the EU.  More information can be found here. John.Fay@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Commission Portal for Energy Efficiency in Buildings:  The European Commission has launched its BUILD UP website as a tool for sharing information on reducing energy use of buildings, to help both home owners and builders with practical information, and also update the market on the legislative framework.The website is at www.buildup.eu

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

EU Stimulus Funds: On April 27, the Council approved a contribution of €5 billion to the European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) for energy and broadband. The financing has been made possible thanks to a revision of the 2007 – 2013 financial frameworks, which required amending the 2009 budget. €3.98 billion will be destined to finance energy projects, while the remaining €1.02 billion will be put to use to develop broadband internet in rural areas. Susana.Getman@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

New Market Research on EU Stimulus Funding for Energy: This report summarizes the major sources of EU financial assistance that can be used to finance energy projects. http://buyusainfo.net/info.cfm?loadnav=&isprev=yes&id=14266335&keyx=6A7B46584740E779D572ADAFE9CC055C

EIB Funds for Carbon Projects: The European Investment Bank announced its intention to set up a new global carbon fund for CO2-reduction projects. The fund is intended to help small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and public institutions reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of funding provided will be around €100m. http://www.eib.org/about/press/2009/2009-066-eib-and-kfw-to-continue-support-for-european-economy.htm

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 

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.