On Monday, May 22, in Brussels, the European Union's Competitiveness Council meeting took place, in which the Latvian point of view was expressed by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Economics, Andris Čuda.
During the session, the ministers of the member states confirmed the general position regarding the proposal for the Sustainable Product Ecodesign Regulation, which aims to improve requirements for products throughout their life cycle to reduce their environmental footprint. The regulation provides for certain new design requirements for products to be more durable, easier to restore, repair, recycle, as well as more energy-efficient and resource-efficient. In the future, digital product passports are planned, which will provide information on the product's impact on the environment. Following the Council's decision, a trilogue with the European Parliament and the European Commission (EC) will begin.
Latvia supports the proposed general agreement text, while emphasizing that the current reasonable time for implementing the proposed requirements must be maintained in future discussions, to allow both industries and supervisory authorities of the member states to prepare. At the same time, Latvia expressed skepticism about the proposed regulation to ban the destruction of clothing and its accessories, as no assessment of its impact has been made. Moreover, like other countries, Latvia would have preferred a permanent exemption for small and medium-sized enterprises from the requirements to limit the destruction of unsold goods.
Furthermore, the ministers discussed the Critical Raw Materials Act, which envisages a comprehensive set of measures aimed at ensuring EU tools and access to safe, diverse, affordable, and sustainable critical raw material supplies. The regulation proposal defines the list of strategic and critical raw materials and the selection criteria for strategic projects, as well as the procedure for ensuring the implementation of strategically important projects. It also envisages the establishment of a one-stop agency in each member state, responsible for coordinating and facilitating permit issuance. The proposal also obliges member states to develop national mineral extraction programs.
Although Latvia generally appreciates the regulation project, concerns were expressed at the meeting about the implementation deadlines and the financial resources needed to establish a one-stop agency. Also, the Latvian representative pointed out concerns about the mandatory requirement to implement a land exploration program, as currently, neither critical material research nor extraction is taking place, and no research data is available. At the same time, we believe that, especially for innovative products, there should be an opportunity to expand the list of critical raw materials, as the current offer does not promote the development of new technologies and technological processes.
In the continuation of the meeting, representatives of the member states discussed Long-term competitiveness issues and the intention to expand the Single Market and Competitiveness Review with new target indicators. Thus, the annual review will provide an opportunity to pay increased attention to individual relevant areas and highlight various aspects of competitiveness.
In conclusion, the Council also discussed issues related to the Net Zero Emission Industry Act, the unified patent system, and the legal protection of design patterns.
Latvia is pleased that on June 1, 2023, a new form of invention protection will come into force - a unified European patent, thus concluding a project that has lasted for decades - to establish a unified EU patent protection. Latvia is among the 17 countries that have already joined the Unified Patent.