Now that the European Parliamentary elections have concluded from June 6-9, 2024, newly elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) face a busy agenda of unfinished legislative business. While the previous Parliament made progress on many fronts, several major initiatives await the incoming lawmakers. Here are some of the key laws the new Parliament will need to take up:
Boosting Defence Production
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscoring Europe‘s defence vulnerabilities, regulating the defence industry is a priority. The new Parliament must debate the proposed €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme to ramp up munitions and military equipment manufacturing from 2025-2027.
Artificial Intelligence Liability
As AI systems become ubiquitous in sectors like healthcare and transportation, clear rules are needed to determine responsibility when they cause harm. Finalizing the AI Liability Directive will ensure those injured by flawed AI applications have legal recourse.
Pet Welfare Standards
There are currently no harmonized EU rules on the breeding, sale and sheltering of cats and dogs. Newly elected MEPs will take up a law proposed in late 2023 to establish common standards and registration requirements to combat illegal animal trading.
Retail Investor Protections
To make investing safer and more accessible for everyday Europeans, the new Parliament will negotiate rules requiring clearer disclosures and a coherent regulatory framework for retail investment products.
Right to Disconnect
With flexible work and personal tech blurring boundaries, MEPs may legislate employees’ ability to unplug from work duties and communications outside office hours.
Textile and Food Waste
The new Parliament aims to crack down on fast fashion and food waste with bold new targets for the textile and grocery industries to collect, sort and recycle discarded items.
2040 Climate Goals
Having set emission reduction benchmarks for 2030 and 2050, establishing an interim target for 2040 aligned with EU climate neutrality goals is a key challenge.
The newly elected MEPs will also take on preventing migrant smuggling, establishing an EU-wide anti-corruption framework for public officials, and myriad other initiatives impacting Europeans’ lives over the coming years. With so much unfinished business on its plate, the 2024 European Parliament elections have ushered in a pivotal new era for EU policymaking.
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First published in this link of The European Times.
