The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has published its opinion on the European Commission's proposed amendments to several EU directives concerning corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements, including Directives 2006/43/EC, 2013/34/EU, (EU) 2022/2464 and (EU) 2024/1760. Adopted on 18 June 2025, the opinion balances the call for regulatory simplification with concerns about consultation timeframes and limited stakeholder engagement. Key recommendations include maintaining robust environmental and social standards, offering additional support for small and medium-sized enterprises, establishing clear due diligence rules, and reconsidering the exclusion of NGO and trade union representation in legal proceedings.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)’s opinion on the proposal for a revision of the European Pharmaceutical Framework has been published in the Official Journal of the EU. The EESC has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal which offers an opportunity to adjust current provisions and improve Europe’s competitiveness and sustainability. The EESC also noted its desire to recall its 2021 opinion on the Pharmaceutical Strategy and that above all, it supports the improvement of affordability as one of the main goals of the revision.

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The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has said its members are concerned that revisions to the EU Benchmark Regulation will harm the EU sustainable finance regime and create gaps in transparency more broadly. EFAMA says the concerns stem from the Commission’s proposal to remove the majority of benchmarks from the scope of the Regulation. This means removing transparency regarding the methodology used by those benchmarks, among other obligations. EFAMA is calling on the Commission to retain a minimum level of transparency for all benchmarks, as is the case under the existing rules.

The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has highlighted that the new Fund Naming Guidelines proposed by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) are non-compliant and incompatible with pre-existing sustainable finance regulations, for example, the EU Green Bond Standard. These inconsistencies could restrict the investable universe for green bond funds and ultimately, hinder the development of the corporate green bond sector in the EU.

The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has published proposals to simplify and improve the Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP) regulation. The European Commission is expected to propose changes to the PEPP in the second half of 2025, and the EFAMA’s proposals highlight what is required from asset managers to make this product a success in the future. The EFAMA’s proposals include making national subaccounts voluntary, removing mandatory financial advice requirements for Basic PEPP, reforming life-cycle investment strategies, addressing the 1% fee cap, and extending PEPP to occupational pension schemes. The EFAMA aims to increase market participation and enhance the product's role in the European Savings and Investments Union.

The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has published FAQs on the new European Long-Term Investment Fund (ELTIF) Regulation (ELTIF 2.0), which became applicable on 10 January 2024. The new regulation aims to give fund managers more flexibility to make ELTIFs more attractive to end investors, particularly on the retail side, and unlock their potential as a source of financing for the European real economy. The FAQs also include a timeline so far and next steps.

The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has published an interview with the head of market insight at the Investment Association (IA) and chair of EFAMA’s European Fund Classification Taskforce, Miranda Seath, on the European Fund Classification (EFC), along with an EFC procedural overview for fund managers.

The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has published policy priorities for the asset management sector for the next five years. ‘Unlocking private investment to fund Europe’s triple transitions: towards an enabling regulatory framework’ makes practical recommendations for developing deeper, more integrated and liquid capital markets in Europe.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and Cosmetics Europe (CE) have published statements expressing concerns over the attribution of toxic load contributions from micropollutants to their respective sectors under the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, part of the revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD). While both organisations support the directive’s objectives and the polluter pays principle, they argue that current data significantly overstates their sectors’ contributions to micropollutants. CE highlights a discrepancy in the toxic load attributed to its sector, with the Commission estimating 26% and its own analysis showing just 1.54%. EFPIA similarly questions the accuracy of figures attributed to the pharmaceutical. Both organisations call for a substance-based, sector-neutral EPR model backed by a harmonised EU list of micropollutants to ensure fair attribution and promote eco-design.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) have released two calls for proposals to improve patient outcomes through the better use of medicines and making smarter healthcare decisions. In line with IHI’s aims, the first call, ‘call 6’ explores how the healthcare system resilience can be supported through a focus on persistency in the treatment of chronic diseases and the development of evidence based practical guidance for sponsors on the use of real-word data and evidence. The short proposal deadline is 16 April 2024 and the full proposal deadline is 10 October 2024. IHI call 7 explores improving clinical management of heart diseases from early detection to treatment, user-centric technologies and optimised hospital workflows for a sustainable workforce and clinical validation of biomarkers for diagnosis, monitoring disease progression and treatment response. The proposal deadline is 22 May 2024.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and MedTech Europe have submitted responses to the European Commission's call for evidence on the EU Life Sciences Strategy. Both organisations emphasise need for regulatory reform, with EFPIA calling for strengthened IP frameworks, streamlined clinical trial approvals, and regulatory convergence. MedTech Europe advocates for structural reform of medical technology regulatory system and simplification of cross-domain requirements. Responses highlight European competitiveness concerns and propose establishment of EU Office for Life Sciences to oversee strategy implementation.