Check here for information on our latest news and events.
Latest Events:
The EU's Environmental Directives Seminar
9 September 2008
Washington, DC
Are you prepared for the European Union's environmental directives? Don't miss this opportunity to learn about important updates on the REACH, EuP, and RoHS Directives. This half-day seminar on September 9th features presenters from the UK's Department for Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform; the Delegation of the European Commission to the US; and the private sector. For more information and/or to register, please contact: Robert_Straetz@ita.doc.gov or via tel: 202-482-4496 prior to 29 August.
RFID Symposium and Related Events
22-23 September 2008
Washington, DC
Three related transatlantic RFID events will be held in
Washington, DC on September 22nd and September 23rd, 2008.
1. U.S. - EU RFID Symposium, September 22nd: Sponsored by TABD and EABC, this one-day event will feature discussions about the societal benefits and challenges of RFID and their policy implications. This event is by invitation by the sponsors.
2. U.S. - EU RFID Privacy Seminar, September 23rd: Hosted by the Federal Trade Commission, this half-day event will examine some of the privacy aspects of RFID technology, and their policy implications.
3. U.S. - EU RFID Matchmaking Event, September 23rd: Hosted by the Department of Commerce, this event will be an opportunity for U.S. and European companies to explore possible RFID partnerships.
For more details on how to participate in each of these events, email: Chris.Sherwood@mail.doc.gov
Latest News:
US Mission to the EU New Ambassador: Ambassador
Kristen Silverberg has arrived in Brussels and has assumed charge
of USEU. CSEU will brief the new Ambassador on July 25th on
key commercial issues. Susana.Getman@mail.doc.gov
Warnings on Food Colorings: The European Parliament
adopted a legislative package requiring labels of health warnings
for children on food products containing any of six artificial
colors. Manufacturers have 18 months to comply once the law is
published in the next few weeks. Some companies such as Cadbury
and Nestle have already agreed to remove all these colorings
while others will have to choose between reformulating products
or carrying the possibly ‘negative’ labels. Jennifer.kane@mail.doc.gov
No agreement on the treatment of imported cosmetic ingredients: The Commission and ECHA presented to the Member States, in a closed session, their proposal for addressing the issue of substances that are not listed on EINECs but are lawfully on the market as part of imported finished cosmetic products under the cosmetics directive. No agreement was reached. An information note will be sent to Member States for their further consideration. In the meantime, companies are advised to proceed with substance identification and the inquiry process. Flavie.Guerin@mail.doc.gov
"D-Day" for REACH: On June 1st, pre-registration and
registration started under REACH, and pre-registration lasts
until December 1st. Over 2,500 substances have already been
pre-registered. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) officially
opened on June 3rd, and while the IT system is not yet fully
functional, temporary measures have been put in place to receive
data from industry. New Guidance on substances in Articles, on
Only Representatives, and chemical safety reports have been
posted on the ECHA website. For more information on REACH, check
the CSEU REACH web page. Flavie.guerin@mail.doc.gov
Consultation on Metrology: The Commission plans to
simplify a number of areas affected by legal metrology
(measurements) and has published a consultation to invite input
from stakeholders by July 15, 2008. For more information or
to provide your input, please click here. sylvia.mohr@mail.doc.gov
Review of Emissions of Non-Road Mobile Machinery: The
Joint Research Center published its draft report reviewing
emissions. This document lists options for the Commission
to review the existing directive. Sylvia.Mohr@mail.doc.gov
Interoperable Security: The European Organization for
Security (EOS) held its launch event focusing on developing the
EU security market. A Proposal for a Directive on
European Critical Infrastructure (CI) will be adopted and enter
into force before the end of 2008 (there is already unanimous
agreement in the Council). The Proposal will focus on
identifying and designating CI in the energy and transport
sectors (the ICT sector will come later as criteria for
identifying what is critical still needs to be developed).
Jennifer.Kane@mail.doc.gov
Report on BTIs: The Court of Auditors (ECA) released a
report on Binding Tariff Information (BTI) based on an audit
carried out in 6 Member States and concluded that the BTI system
has shortcomings including: 1) not all MSs systematically check
the eBTI database to see if BTI has been issued for similar
products; 2) the time it takes for classification matters to be
resolved in the Nomenclature Committee is too long; 3) BTI
holders are not obliged to refer to their BTI when they declare
goods to customs; and 4) the eBTI database is not always updated
quickly by the MSs. In 2007, there were approximately
170,000 BTIs in force. Jennifer.Kane@mail.doc.gov
Updated - EU Remedies in Public Procurement: Public
authorities in the European Union spend around €1500 billion
annually, or 16% of GDP on public purchases. The EU Public
Procurement Directives ensure that contracts are awarded in an
open, fair and transparent manner, allowing domestic and
non-domestic firms to compete for business. When there are
violations of the EU Public Procurement Directives, the Remedies
Directives should guarantee that wronged parties have access to
quick means of redress. US companies responding to public
procurement calls for tender may find the need to get expert
advice on actions to take in case of suspicion of infringement or
blatant procurement malpractice. This report outlines some of the
remedies recently put in place by EU legislators and national
administrations, and useful networks destined to help bidders who
feel they have been discriminated against. http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_9220286.pdf
Isabelle.Maelcamp@mail.doc.gov
Modernized Customs Code (MCC): The new MCC was published
in the Official Journal on 4 June 2008 and comes into force 24
June. It is expected to reduce the complexity of rules and
procedures for companies by allowing all electronic filing of all
customs declarations. Implementing Provisions for several
articles will most likely take another year to be adopted.
Through the MCC, the Commission hopes to save $2.5 million a
year. Jennifer.kane@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@mail.doc.gov
Information to Patients: On April 3, Enterprise Commissioner Verheugen spoke to the European Parliament's Environment Committee on the upcoming Information to Patients proposal, which the European Commission hopes to table in late September/early October. Verheugen will include it in a package of pharmaceutical legislation that will also include legislative framework on combating counterfeiting and on pharmacovigilance. Basis for the proposal: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/pharmaceuticals/pharmacos/docs/doc2008/2008_02/info_to_patients_consult_200802.pdf, Susana.Getman@mail.doc.gov
Privacy Regulators Target Search Engines: On April 4th, the committee of EU Member State Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) issued an Opinion setting out its interpretation of the applicability of existing EU privacy law to search engines. Search engines were criticized for retaining personal data (including IP addresses, in some cases) for too long, and for failing to provide EU citizens with sufficient information on their use of personal data. The DPAs recommended a maximum 6-month retention period for personal data. The Opinion is not legally binding, but may give “cover” to DPAs that intend to target search engines for enforcement actions. Chris.Sherwood@mail.doc.gov