The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the One Substance One Assessment (OSOA) legislative package, aimed at improving the coordination and efficiency of chemical assessments across EU law. The agreement includes a directive and two regulations to reallocate technical tasks, promote inter-agency cooperation, and establish a common data platform on chemicals, hosted by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The platform will consolidate data from around 70 pieces of EU legislation and enable early detection and regulatory response to chemical risks.

The Council of the EU and European Parliament have reached provisional agreement on regulation establishing legally binding prohibition of Russian natural gas imports, with liquefied natural gas banned by 31 December 2026 and pipeline gas by 30 September 2027. The regulation includes transition periods for existing contracts, prior authorisation requirements for imports, mandatory national diversification plans from member states, and maximum penalty frameworks for non-compliance. The agreement commits the European Commission to propose Russian oil import ban legislation by early 2026 for implementation by end of 2027. The provisional agreement requires formal endorsement by both institutions, with parliamentary committee votes scheduled for 11 December and full Parliament vote during 15-18 December plenary session, before qualified majority adoption in Council and publication in the Official Journal.

The Council and the European Parliament have reached a political agreement to modernise the EU’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) rules, aiming to enhance consumer protection in the digital economy. The revised directive will update the 2013 ADR framework by clarifying its scope, extending it to include disputes with third-country traders targeting EU consumers, and requiring businesses to respond to ADR bodies within 20 working days (30 in complex cases). Member states must introduce incentives—such as awareness campaigns or financial benefits—to promote participation among consumers and traders, particularly in sectors with high complaint volumes like air transport and tourism. The Commission will also launch a multilingual, digital tool offering practical guidance, machine translation, and ADR access information. To ensure transparency and fairness, consumers must be notified if automated systems such as AI are used and retain the right to human review. The directive permits ADR entities to consolidate similar complaints for efficiency. The Council will now formally adopt the agreement, followed by a second reading vote in the European Parliament. The directive will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal, with application beginning 32 months later.

The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the regulation governing compulsory licensing for crisis management purposes. The agreement, aimed at ensuring the availability of critical products within the internal market during emergencies, establishes a framework under which intellectual property rights may be exercised without the authorisation of the rights holders. The measures are designated as a last resort, with priority given to voluntary agreements between patent holders and potential users, and apply only once a crisis or emergency mode is officially activated at the EU level. Notably, the regulation excludes sectors such as gas, chips, and defence products and does not mandate the disclosure of trade secrets. The measures have been formulated in the context of addressing the fragmented national approaches previously in place, and they are designed to safeguard a high level of intellectual property protection while enhancing European crisis preparedness. The next step involves formal endorsement and adoption of the agreement by both the Council and the Parliament.

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on new legislation to enhance the collection of labour market statistics on businesses across the EU. The law aims to improve the timeliness, reliability, and comparability of data, whilst expanding economic coverage and ensuring collection of gender pay gap statistics. The agreement is subject to approval by EU member states' permanent representatives and subsequent adoption by both co-legislators before entering into force.

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on reforming the EU’s pharmaceutical framework, focusing on patient access, regulatory efficiency, industry competitiveness, and medicinal supply security, with incentives to address antimicrobial resistance. Under the agreement, new medicines will receive eight years of data exclusivity and one year of market protection post-authorisation and Article 56a will allow Member States to require sufficient medicine supplies to meet national demands. The EU pharma package will also expand activities for generic/biosimilar manufacturers for market entry post-IP rights expiry, including procurement tenders and introduce a transferrable exclusivity voucher, granting one extra year of protection for developing priority antimicrobials, among other things. The provisional agreement will need to be endorsed by the Council and Parliament, before it is formally adopted and published in the Official Journal of the EU.

The Council and European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) under the 'Omnibus III' package. The reforms aim to reduce administrative burdens, enhance competitiveness, and support farmers—particularly small-scale and organic producers—while maintaining environmental standards. Key measures include fewer on-the-spot checks, removal of annual performance clearance, and increased flexibility for member states in applying green requirements. Farmers will also benefit from improved risk management tools, higher advance payments, and crisis support in cases of natural disasters or severe events.

The The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to revise Directive 2009/38/EC—the European works council—aimed at strengthening the representation of workers in large multinational companies. The directive, originally implemented in 2009, will be amended to ensure European works councils are established more easily, receive better funding, and benefit from stronger protection. The Polish Minister for Family, Labour, and Social Policy, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, underscored the importance of these bodies in consulting and informing employees on transnational issues that affect them.

The Council of the EU and European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to postpone the application of the EU deforestation regulation by 12 months. The new rules will now apply from 30 December 2025 for large operators and traders, and from 30 June 2026 for micro- and small enterprises.

The Council presidency and European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to simplify and strengthen the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), aiming to reduce administrative burdens and compliance costs for businesses without weakening climate goals. The deal includes broader exemptions for low-volume importers, streamlined procedures for all importers, and new rules on emissions reporting and financial liabilities. The agreement must now be endorsed by both institutions, with formal adoption expected by September 2025.

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on revising Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 (the regulation governing detergents and surfactants). Announced by Polish Minister for Health Izabela Leszczyna, the updated rules aim to enhance health and environmental protection while facilitating market access for innovative products. The agreement empowers the European Commission to strengthen biodegradability requirements, particularly for water-soluble films used in detergent capsules, and to assess the need for criteria covering other organic substances present in significant concentrations. It also requests the Commission to analyse the feasibility and potential impact of reducing phosphorus levels in detergents, while reaffirming the existing ban on animal testing, allowing derogations only under strict and exceptional conditions.

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on measures in the Omnibus VI package to simplify requirements relating to chemical products, cosmetics and fertilising products while maintaining existing levels of consumer and environmental protection. In relation to cosmetics, they have agreed to accelerate the phase-out of cosmetic products containing prohibited carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances compared with the timetable originally proposed by the Commission. The agreement also includes amendments to the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation intended to provide greater flexibility for chemical classification and labelling requirements, including wider use of digital labels, while maintaining consumer protection standards. For fertilising products, they have agreed amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 intended to simplify requirements for EU fertilising products while retaining registration obligations for certain harmful substances.