European Union directives

The European Commission has urged Greece to properly transpose European Union regulations regarding the presumption of innocence and the right to be present at trial.

Greece, like other European Union member-states, is in the process of implementing a new European directive against hacker attacks, which provides for a series of measures in the public and private sector and concerns a total of approximately 3,000 entities.

Bulgaria has committed to phasing out coal by 2038, a reminder included in the European Commission's annual report on energy across the EU and individual member states. The report highlights that through the Just Transition Fund, Bulgaria could access 1.12 billion euros to support the social and economic impacts of closing coal plants in Kyustendil, Pernik, and Stara Zagora.

The European Union member states, represented by the Council, have approved a directive aimed at promoting repair over replacement for defective goods.

The European Commission initiated a new infringement procedure against Bulgaria on Thursday for failing to submit a report on the energy performance of buildings as required by the directive. A notification letter was sent to the Bulgarian government, reminding it to provide the European Commission with a report on the optimal costs related to building energy efficiency.

The European Commission decided on Wednesday to refer Greece to the EU's Court of Justice for not applying correctly the rules under the Late Payment Directive.

The Late Payment Directive obliges public authorities to pay their invoices within 30 days (or 60 days for public health authorities). 

The European Commission on Wednesday referred Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for its failure to conclude the revision of its river basin management plans as required by the Water Framework Directive and its flood risk management plans as required by the Floods Directive.

Twenty years ago, during my mandate as European commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, the European Council adopted a directive to eliminate discrimination based on nationality, religion, sexual orientation and disability in employment and the economy.

The European Commission has initiated four infringement procedures against Bulgaria, marking a formal notice sent to the country. Bulgaria now faces a two-month window to respond to the notice, or the Commission may proceed to issue a reasoned opinion.

The reason for initiating the procedure is because they did not transfer all the provisions of the directive on seasonal workers in a completely correct way. The aim of this directive is to ensure fair and transparent rules for the admission of seasonal workers from third countries to the EU.