Publication Archive

 

 

This archive contains all documents published by cep over the last few years:

cepAdhoc: Incisive comment on current EU policy issues

cepPolicyBrief: Concise reviews of EU proposals (Regulations, Directives, Green Papers, White Papers, Communications) – including an executive summary

cepInput: Impulse to current challenges of EU policies

cepStudy: Comprehensive examination of EU policy proposals affecting the economy

 

 

2014

The Commission wishes to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by indirect land-use changes. To this end it wishes to limit the amount of how much conventional biofuels count to a maximum of five percentage points of the 10% expansion target, amongst other things.

2014

The Commission proposes a “major and rapid transformation” in the EU’s external aviation policy in order to strengthen the international competitiveness of European airlines, create benefits for consumers and improve public safety and environmental protection. To this end it proposes amongst other things to agree at ICAO level on a global system for CO2 emissions from air transport and to conclude agreements between the EU and third countries on the liberalisation of the national regulations on ownership and control of airlines.

2014

The Commission’s proposal comes as no great surprise. By 2020, 40% of the non-executive directors of stock-listed companies are to be women. In order to comply with the principle of proportionality, several exceptions are allowed. For instance, the Directive applies solely to companies with an annual turnover exceeding 50 million and with more than 250 employees. Where a third of the company’s board of directors are already women, then the quota can be considered fulfilled. And if a company can prove that they could not find any eligible female applicants, they do not have to comply with the quota requirement. With regard to filling the positions on management boards, the introduction of a ‘flexi-quota is proposed’, according to which companies set their own targets.

In order to ensure that companies comply with the quota, Member States must provide for penalties -  what form these may take is up to the Member States. They must, however, be effective, proportionate and serve as a deterrent.

2014

The Commission wishes to reform State aid law and in particular re-target it as to better promote economic growth in Member States. This serves the purpose of implementing the growth strategy “Europe 2020” and of supporting Member States in consolidating their public budgets through a re-targeted State aid approach.

2014

The Fiscal Compact of 2 March 2012 obliges the Contracting Parties to introduce a debt brake into national law. Amongst other things, it provides for a correction mechanism obliging the Contracting Parties directly in case of default. Thus the budgetary discipline of Contracting Parties is to be strengthened. The Commission proposes seven principles which the Contracting Parties should take into in shaping national laws.

2014

The Commission wishes to delegate key tasks of banking supervision from national banking au-thorities to the European Central Bank (ECB). The tasks of the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the voting rules in its supervisory council must be adjusted accordingly.

2014

The Commission wishes to delegate key tasks of banking supervision from national banking au-thorities to the European Central Bank (ECB). The tasks of the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the voting rules in its supervisory council must be adjusted accordingly.

2014

In order to reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector, the EU introduced CO2 thresholds for new passenger cars. These thresholds will be tightened to 95 grams CO2 per kilometre as of 2020. Now the Commission proposes measures in order to achieve the CO2 targets valid as of 2020 for a manufacturer’s passenger car fleet as neutral as possible from the point of view of competition. For this purpose the formula determining the specific CO2 emissions for manufacturers shall be modified and benefits for passenger cars with particularly low CO2 emissions shall be reduced.

2014

According to the Commission, the costs and risks of cross-border securities transactions are too high compared to national securities transactions, the access of market actors – among them trade venues, central counterparties and central securities depositories – is limited and the competition between central securities depositories insufficient. The Commission wishes to address these deficits by measures to increase the safety of securities transactions and to open national securities markets.