Communiqeu

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KEITH ZAHRA

HEALTH AND TRAVEL

EU Digital COVID Certificate: EP and Council reach agreement on Commission proposal

The European Parliament and the Council on the Regulation have reached a political agreement governing the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This means that the certificate (previously called the Digital Green Certificate) remains on track to be ready by the end of June, as planned.

Following the agreement, the EU Digital COVID Certificate will cover Covid-19 vaccination, test or recovery and be available in a digital and paper-based format. It will be free of charge and Member States may use it for national purposes, if this is provided for in national law.

Member States shall refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions on the holders of an EU Digital COVID Certificate, unless they are necessary and proportionate to safeguard public health.

Finally, the Commission will also mobilise €100 million to support member states in providing affordable tests. The Regulation will enter into force on 1 July, with a phasing-in period of six weeks for the issuance of certificates for those member states that need additional time.

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KEITH ZAHRA

SECURITY

More thorough checks for firearm licences from next year

The Commission has introduced new rules on the systematic exchange of information between member states on refusals to grant authorisations to own a firearm. An estimated 30,000 refusals are issued each month within the EU on security grounds.

The delegated regulation will enable the relevant national authorities to check, using the Internal Market Information IT System, whether someone applying for a firearm licence has been denied a similar authorisation in another member state.

This will prevent ‘jurisdiction shopping’ by people who attempt to circumvent prohibitions. Improving the legal control of firearms is a priority of the EU Action Plan on firearms trafficking for 2020-2025.

The new rules will contribute to protecting Europeans from organised crime and terrorism, in line with the Counter-terrorism Agenda presented in December 2020 and the EU Strategy to tackle organised crime put forward last month. The new rules will apply as of 31 January 2022.

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KEITH ZAHRA

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

EU to discuss EEA states’ financial contribution for 2021-2027

The Council has adopted a decision authorising the opening of negotiations with Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Kingdom of Norway for an agreement on the future financial contribution of the EEA EFTA States to social and economic cohesion in the European Economic Area.

The Council also adopted negotiating directives which constitute a mandate to the Commission for the negotiations.

On the basis of this mandate, negotiations should now be conducted and concluded swiftly, in order to ensure that the instruments for adopting the above arrangements enter into force as soon as possible, taking into account the timeline of the next seven-year-period for the EU cohesion policy instruments.

Following the expiry of the EEA and Norway Financial Mechanisms 20142021 on 30 April 2021, the new mechanism for financial contributions from the three partner countries will be aimed at alleviating social and economic disparities in the European Economic Area in the period 2021–2027.

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KEITH ZAHRA

HEALTH

The Tobacco Products Directive: Five years on

The European Commission published its first report on the Tobacco Products Directive, five years after it became applicable in 2016. Following the introduction of this Directive, the EU has witnessed steady decreases in smoking rates and tobacco use. However, more efforts are needed, the report said, particularly enforcement at national level and better consideration of new market developments, such as novel tobacco products.

With 27 per cent of all cancers attributed to its use, tobacco is the single largest avoidable health risk in the EU. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a key pillar of the European Health Union aims at creating a ‘Tobaccofree Generation’ by 2040. To reach this highly ambitious goal we need timely mobilisation of the whole available arsenal of tobacco control tools at all levels.

The report identifies progress made and where there is still room for improvement. It finds that the EU legislation has enhanced tobacco control, contributed to protecting the health of EU citizens by providing member states with strong rules to address the use of tobacco products in the EU.

The Directive has put in place comprehensive EU tobacco control policy rules, notably through enlarged combined health warnings, a track and trace system, a ban on characterising flavours, the creation of an ingredients database and the regulation of electronic cigarettes. It has also contributed to the improvement of public health through a decrease in tobacco consumption. The report also concludes that, due to market developments, there is scope for improvement in certain essential areas such as labelling, assessment of ingredients, crossborder distance sales and novel and emerging products.