The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against Meta, the provider of Facebook and Instagram, under the EU Digital Services Act (EU DSA) to assess whether the company, may have breached the EU DSA. The suspected infringements cover Meta's policies and practices relating to deceptive advertising and political content on its services, as well as the non-availability of an effective third-party real-time civic discourse and election-monitoring tool ahead of the elections to the European Parliament, against the background of Meta's deprecation of its real-time public insights tool CrowdTangle without an adequate replacement. If proven, these failures would constitute infringements of Articles 14(1), 16(1), 16(5), 16(6), 17(1), 20(1), 20(3), 24(5), 25(1), 34(1), 34(2), 35(1) and 40(12) of the EU DSA. The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority. The opening of formal proceedings empowers the Commission to take further enforcement steps, such as interim measures, and non-compliance decisions and it can also accept commitments made by Meta to remedy the issues raised in the proceedings.

The European Commission has opened second formal proceedings against TikTok under the EU Digital Services Act (EU DSA) to assess whether the company may have breached the EU DSA when launching TikTok Lite in France and Spain. The EU DSA requires designated Very Large Online Platforms to submit a risk assessment report, including measures to mitigate any potential systemic risks, prior to launching any new functionalities that are likely to have a critical impact on their systemic risks. What gave rise to the proceedings is the Commission’s concern that the ‘Task and Reward Program’ of TikTok Lite, may have been launched without prior diligent assessment of the risks it entails, particularly those related to the addictive effect of the platforms, and without taking effective risk mitigating measures. If proven, these failures would constitute infringements of Articles 34 and 35 of the EU DSA. The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority. TikTok now has until 23 April 2024 to submit the risk assessment report to the Commission and until 3 May 2024 to provide the other information requested.

The European Commission has adopted a Commission Delegated Regulation postponing the date of application of the Basel III fundamental review of the trading book (FRTB) standards in the EU by one year, ie to 1 January 2026.

The European Commission has put forward the EU’s objectives for applying the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The objectives cover all goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which were agreed at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) (COP15) in December 2022. The objectives are now publicly accessible via the online reporting tool of the CBD.

The European Commission has published a speech by President von der Leyen at a conference in Brussels on 8 June 2026, outlining the need to advance brain cancer research and maintain efforts to address cancer across the EU. The speech refers to improving cancer prevention and screening, and to measures aimed at accelerating treatment development, including the European Biotech Act to simplify clinical trial approvals and the European Health Data Space to improve data-sharing and treatment outcomes, particularly in the context of AI. It also highlights addressing inequalities in access to high-quality care regardless of location, income or education, and the need to strengthen support and protections for cancer survivors.

The European Commission has proposed a new Regulation on cross-border enforcement against unfair trading practices (UTPs) in the agricultural and food supply chain. This proposed Regulation will amend Directive (EU) 2019/633, the EU unfair business-to-business trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain Directive. The proposed Regulation aims to enhance co-operation between national enforcement authorities by improving information exchange, investigations, and penalty collection in cross-border cases. It introduces procedural rules for co-operation and establishes a mutual assistance mechanism, allowing authorities to request enforcement measures from counterparts in other Member States. The proposal also enables co-ordinated action for suspected widespread UTPs with cross-border implications, strengthening EU-level protection for farmers and small to medium-sized suppliers.

The European Commission has recommended that EU Member States should continue to save gas to secure supplies and stabilise EU markets. The EU has decreased gas demands between August 2022 to December 2023, by 18%. This has collectively saved the EU around 101 billion cubic metres of gas and is above the 15% gas savings target, which was agreed in 2022. As the emergency legislation is due to expire on 31 March 2024, the Commission is now proposing for a Council Recommendation on continued gas demand reduction measures to be adopted. The recommendation will also need to be adopted by the Council of the EU. The proposal will be discussed by Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, and EU Energy Ministers at the Energy Council on 4 March 2024

The European Commission has proposed an amendment to Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 to make permanent the current transitory treatment of short-term securities financing transactions (SFT) for the calculation of the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR). This amendment aims to prevent increased funding costs for EU banks and maintain an international level playing field, as other jurisdictions like the US and UK have already adopted lower Required Stable Funding (RSF) factors permanently. The Commission has opened a call for evidence until 10 March 2025, with formal adoption expected in the first quarter of 2025. The current transitory treatment allows EU banks to apply lower RSF factors until 28 June 2025.

The European Commission's proposal to the Council of the European Union concerning an amendment of Annex II (Technical Regulations, standards, testing and certification) and Protocol 37 (containing the list provided for in Article 101) to Regulation (EU) 2022/123 (the EEA Agreement) has been published in the Official Journal. The proposed Act that will be incorporated into the EEA Agreement will strengthen the role of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in taking actions to prepare and manage a crisis for the supply of medicinal products and medical devices. It is anticipated that the Council will adopt the decision and it shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

The European Commission has proposed an amendment to the EU Central Securities Depository Regulation (EU Regulation (EU) No 909/2014) (CSDR) to shorten the settlement cycle for EU securities transactions from two business days (T+2) to one business day (T+1). This change aims to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of EU capital markets, reduce risks, and align with global market practices, which are essential for a well-functioning Savings and Investments Union (SIU). The proposal, following recommendations from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), seeks to address misalignments with international markets and is set to apply from 11 October 2027, allowing stakeholders time to prepare. The proposal outlines the reasons for this change, including the need to align with global markets, reduce risks, and improve the competitiveness and efficiency of EU capital markets. It also discusses the potential impacts, costs, and benefits of the transition, as well as the necessary steps and coordination required among stakeholders.

The European Commission has proposed an amendment to Directive 2004/22/EC (the Measuring Instruments Directive) to establish uniform measuring requirements for electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refilling stations across the EU. The amendment aims to enhance consumer protection, standardise billing processes, and support clean mobility infrastructure deployment. It also modernises metering requirements for smart electricity and gas meters, includes heat meters for cooling applications, and aligns with recent EU legislation on alternative fuels, CO₂ standards, and renewable energy. This update to EU metrology legislation reflects the evolving energy landscape and supports the green transition.

The European Commission has proposed to allow EU farmers to derogate from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules which require that certain areas are kept as non-productive, for the duration of 2024. The proposal will enable farmers to not comply with this rule but still be eligible for the CAP basic direct payment. EU farmers growing nitrogen fixing crops or catch crops without plant protection products on 7% of their arable land, rather than 4% under the existing rules, will be considered to meet the requirement. The proposals, which follow calls from several EU Member States in Agriculture Council meetings, will now be voted on by EU Member States in a Committee meeting, after which, the Commission will proceed to formal adoption. The Regulation will then apply retrospectively from 1 January 2024.