DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 17 April 2023
Energy savings: Commission presents new rules to reduce ‘standby' consumption of electrical appliances
Today, the Commission adopted new EU rules to reduce the energy consumption of electrical appliances such as washing machines, TV sets and hand-held video game consoles when they are in ‘standby' mode. The revised rules introduce a number of amendments to the 2008 Ecodesign regulation on standby, off mode and networked standby, last updated in 2013, following an extensive consultation exercise and scrutiny from the European Parliament and the Council. The changes take account of technological and market developments in recent years and extend the scope of the rules, for example now including products with a low voltage external power supply such as small network equipment (including Wi-Fi routers and modems) or wireless speakers.
By requiring reduced electricity consumption of products when they are in low power mode, the Commission estimates that annual energy savings of 4 TWh will be generated by 2030 – which amounts to an annual CO2 saving of 1.36 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This will also benefit consumers by reducing their bills, with the total savings for consumers estimated at €530 million a year by 2030.
Thanks to the revised rules, information on standby, off mode and networked standby power consumption as well as on the time needed for the product to reach automatically one of these modes will be more easily accessible to consumers.
Manufacturers now have a transition period of two years until these new rules apply. More information is available here.
(For more information: Tim McPhie – Tel.: +32 2 295 86 02; Giulia Bedini – Tel: +32 2 295 86 61; Ana Crespo Parrondo – Tel.: +32 2 298 13 25)
Antitrust: Commission prolongs validity of Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation and updates the Supplementary Guidelines
The European Commission has prolonged the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (‘MVBER') for five years, meaning that it will now be applicable until 31 May 2028. It has also updated the Supplementary Guidelines for the sector. The revised Guidelines will help companies in the automotive sector assess the compatibility of their vertical agreements with EU competition rules, while ensuring that aftermarket operators, including garages, continue to have access to vehicle-generated data necessary for repair and maintenance.
The MVBER was set to expire on 31 May 2023. The Regulation adopted today will prolong it until 31 May 2028. This limited prolongation will allow the Commission to react in a timely manner to possible market changes, such as those resulting from vehicle digitalisation, electrification and new mobility patterns.
The updated Supplementary Guidelines: (i) clarify that data generated by vehicle sensors may be an essential input for the provision of repair and maintenance services; (ii) specify that vehicle suppliers must apply the proportionality principle when considering whether to withhold inputs; and (iii)warn that Article 102 TFEU may be applicable where a supplier unilaterally withholds from independent operators an essential input.
Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “The Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation remains an effective tool for ensuring that vertical agreements in the automotive sector comply with the EU competition rules, and should stay in place for 5 more years. At the same time, we revised the Guidelines to clarify how to assess novel issues regarding the provision of vehicle-generated data to independent operators under competition rules. Nowadays, access to such data is vital to make sure that independent and authorised repairers can compete on an equal footing. This will help ensure that European motorists continue to have a choice of affordable repair and maintenance providers.”
A press release is available online.
(For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24; Nina Ferreira - Tel.: +32 2 299 81 63)
Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on rules on technology transfer agreements
The European Commission has today launched a public consultation to gather evidence on the functioning of the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (‘TTBER') and the related Guidelines.
The TTBER exempts certain categories of technology transfer agreements from the prohibition of anticompetitive agreements laid down in Article 101(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Technology transfer agreements are agreements by which one party authorises another to use certain technology rights, such as patents and software copyrights, for the production of goods or services.
The aim of the TTBER is to strengthen the incentives for research and development, facilitate the diffusion of technologies, and promote competition. The current rules are set to expire on 30 April 2026.
The public consultation follows the Call for Evidence launched in November 2022. It aims to gather evidence on how the TTBER has been applied in practice by companies and other interested parties.
The public consultation, in the form of an online questionnaire, invites interested parties to give their views on the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and added value of the TTBER and the related Guidelines. The evaluation will help the Commission decide whether to renew the current TTBER, revise it or let it expire.
All interested parties can submit their views in any official EU language on the Commission's Have your Say Portal until 24 July 2023. The Commission will publish a summary of the replies to the public consultation. More information on the evaluation can be found here.
DSA enforcement: Commission launches European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency
Tomorrow, the Commission will officially inaugurate the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT), located at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville, Spain.
ECAT will provide the Commission with in-house technical and scientific expertise to ensure that algorithmic systems used by the Very Large Online Platforms and Very Large Online Search Engines comply with the risk management, mitigation and transparency requirements in the new Digital Services Act (DSA). This includes, amongst other tasks, the performance of technical analyses and evaluations of algorithms. ECAT researchers will not only focus on identifying and addressing systemic risks stemming from very large online platforms and search engines, but also investigate the long-term societal impact of algorithms.
The new Digital Services Act imposes risk management requirements for companies designated by the Commission as Very Large Online Platforms and Very Large Online Search Engines. Under this framework, designated platforms will have to identify, analyse and mitigate a wide array of systemic risks on their platforms, ranging from how illegal content and disinformation can be amplified through their services, to the impact on the freedom of expression or media freedom. The Commission is currently analysing the user numbers transmitted by platforms and search engines with a view to designating Very Large Online Platforms and Very Large Online Search Engines, which will have four months from the designation to comply with all DSA obligations and in particular to submit their first risk assessment.
The launch event brings together representatives from EU institutions, academia, civil society and industry to discuss the main challenges and the importance at a societal level of having oversight of how algorithmic systems are used.
The launch event can be followed via livestream. More information is available in a press release.
(For more information: Johannes Bahrke — Tel.: +32 2 295 86 15; Thomas Regnier — Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99)
CALENDAR
THURSDAY 20/04
M, Margaritis Schinas reçoit M. Michael Spindelegger, directeur general de l'ICMPD.
FRIDAY 21/04
Ms Stella Kyriakides receives Mr José Manuel Barroso, chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; delivers a keynote speech to the conference ‘At a turning point: Healthcare systems in Central and Eastern Europe' organised by the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU.
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