EURADA is currently a member of four expert groups and one working group hosted by the European Commission. The Small Business Act (SBA) Meeting with Stakeholders is one of those expert groups where EURADA takes active part, together with the Network of SME Envoys (E02666) expert group, the Interregional Innovation Investments Commission Expert Group (E03767), and the Dialogue with Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) partners 2021-2027 Expert Group (E03802). Last November it was confirmed that EURADA was one of the core members of the Just Transition Platform (JTP) Horizontal Stakeholder Strategy Working Group.
During the latest SBA meeting with stakeholders, different up-to-date topics were discussed. The meeting started with the presentation of the European Commission’s 2022 Working Programme by the Commission’s Secretariat-General. The new strategy is focused on crisis response, economic recovery and progressing on the twin transitions. As a novelty, the Programme introduces the “one in, one out” approach. This approach will be implemented whenever new legislative burdens are introduced: During the earliest stage possible, burdens will be identified and eliminated within the same policy area, where feasible and proportionate. In this way, burdens for citizens and businesses will be reduced in a systematic and proactive manner. The "one in, one out” approach must be contextualised in the regulatory fitness and performance programme (REFIT), which aims to review existing EU legislation to make EU law more simple and less costly. All in all, the introduction of this approach expects to bring more consistency and coherence between proposals.
Afterwards, the Directorate-General for Environment introduced the Proposal for Regulation concerning deforestation-free products. Deforestation is an important driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, and the EU is one of the major consumers of commodities associated with deforestation. Consequently, this proposal aims to minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation by increasing demand for legal ‘deforestation free’ products. Six EU-produced or exported commodities are covered: Palm oil, soy, wood, beef, cocoa, and coffee & some derived products like leather, chocolate, or furniture. These commodities are not allowed to enter the EU market after 31st December 2020. It is expected that more than 70.000 hectares of forest will be saved, and that more than 30 million metric tons of carbon emissions will be avoided annually.
During the SME policy update, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). After being slowed down by the covid recovery measures, SME policy keeps moving forward with the implementation of the EU Commission 2022 Work Programme and its financial instruments. Attention is also paid to the current national recovery plans submitted by Member States and SME strategy instruments that call for investment in the twin transitions. DG GROW will first identify useful SME initiatives within the plans and later engage in the implementation process to ensure maximum benefits for SMEs. Moreover, a Eurobarometer survey on how SMEs are facing the twin transition challenges will be published next January. Finally, an SME checklist is being drafted to better design a blueprint for the transition pathways.
Finally, DG GROW also introduced the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI), a Circular Economy Action Plan that aims to improve product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability. In this way, the SPI will combine the digital and green transition, stimulating demand for more sustainable products and linking the incentives provided to the environmental performance of products – especially focusing on electronics, ICT, textiles, furniture and high impact intermediate products. This initiative also calls for the introduction of the European Digital Product Passport (EU DPP), a tool to support digital transformation and transparency of the internal market. It is expected that by 2022 the SPI will be adopted by the European Commission, later presented to the Council and Parliament, and finalised by 2023.
EURADA is delighter to keep its members informed concerning the future advancements of the Small Business Act (SBA) Meeting with Stakeholders. More information about the aforementioned topics is available in the following links:
