Regulatory

Regulatory

This overview is a guide to the content within the Regulatory (EU Law) subtopic with links to the appropriate materials. This subtopic examines EU regulations and directives which regulate specific areas of law, such as agriculture and food, conflict minerals, construction products, product liability and product safety, as well as transport and travel.

Agriculture and food

EU food and agricultural policy aims to ensure a high level of food safety and animal and plant health within the EU. It also ensures the availability of affordable food to EU citizens, fair living for farmers and the sustainable management of natural resources, through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

To keep up to date with the changes in the agriculture and food sector, see Practice Note: Agriculture/Food—EU Regulatory tracker which tracks and summarises EU regulatory legislation guidance and other ongoing policy developments in the agriculture and food sector. More specifically, this tracker covers all live, closed and upcoming consultations, evaluations and proposals related to guidance, code of practice and legislation in this sector.

EU food law

Practice Note: Introduction to EU food law provides an introduction to food law in the EU. It provides

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Latest EU Law News

European Commission initiates review of Technology Transfer rules

The European Commission has published findings from its evaluation of Commission Regulation (EU) No 316/2014 (the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation or TTBER) and accompanying Guidelines. The Commission has determined that while the rules have been largely effective, improvements are needed in areas such as market share thresholds, data licensing, and technology pools. The Commission will now launch an impact assessment to explore policy options for revising the rules before their expiration in April 2026. A public consultation is planned for December 2024, allowing stakeholders to provide input on potential changes to ensure the rules remain fit for purpose in the evolving technological landscape.4o

JRC identifies 18 product categories for potential EU ecodesign regulation

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published a report assessing various product categories for potential regulation under the new EU Regulation 2024/1781 (the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)). The JRC has identified 18 product groups, including both final and intermediate products, which show significant potential for reducing environmental impacts and enhancing EU strategic autonomy if regulated under the ESPR. The findings will inform the Commission's first ESPR Working Plan, due for adoption in the first half of 2025. The report also highlights the potential of horizontal requirements on durability, recyclability, and recycled content across multiple product groups.

Questions & unsatisfactory answers—the European Commission publishes guidance on the importer requirements of the EU Methane Regulation

EU Law analysis: Alex Kerr, partner at Baker Botts LLP, examines the European Commission’s Q&A document on the importer requirements of the EU Methane Regulation.

European Payments Council initiates call for interest in VOP scheme services

The European Payments Council (EPC) has issued a call for interest, inviting organisations to express their interest in providing services as routing and/or verification mechanisms (RVM) that comply with the verification of payee (VOP) scheme. The EPC developed the VOP scheme to help payment service providers (PSPs) in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) comply with new regulatory requirements for payee verification, which will take effect on 5 October 2025. Responses are sought by 20 December 2024.