EU law

Key legislation:

 

Recreational Craft Directive (2013)

 

Other relevant legislation:

 

Port Reception Facilities Directive (2019)

 

Personal Protective Equipment Directive (2016)

 

Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (2014)

  • Directive 2014/89/EU Establishing a Framework for Maritime Spatial Planning
  • It seeks to enable public authorities to organise human activities in marine areas so as to meet various ecological, economic and social objectives.
  • It requires EU countries to draw up maritime spatial plans by 31 March 2021, which should map existing human activities in their marine waters and identify their most effective future spatial development, taking into account land-sea interactions and environmental, economic, social and safety aspects.
  • The public and stakeholders must be involved in the process.

 

Invasive Alien Species Regulation (2014)

 

Biocidal Products Regulation (2012)

 

Consumer Rights Directive (2011)

  • Directive 2011/83/EU on Consumer Rights
  • It seeks to increase consumer protection by harmonising several key aspects of national legislation on contracts between customers and sellers.
  • It encourages trade between EU countries, particularly for consumers buying online.

 

Waste Framework Directive (2008)

  • Directive 2008/98/EC on Waste
  • It establishes a legal framework for treating waste in the EU, designed to protect the environment and human health by emphasising the importance of proper waste management, recovery and recycling techniques to reduce pressure on resources and improve their use.
  • It establishes a waste hierarchy.
  • It confirms the polluter-pays principle, and introduces the concept of extended producer responsibility.
    It requires national authorities to establish waste-management plans.

 

Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008)

  • Directive 2008/56/EC Establishing a Framework for Community Action in the Field of Marine Environmental Policy
  • It establishes a common approach and objectives for the prevention, protection and conservation of the marine environment against damaging human activities.
  • It requires EU countries to develop strategies to achieve ‘good environmental status’ by 2020.
  • It emphasises the need for EU countries to cooperate with their neighbours in marine regions.
  • It recognises the importance of spatial protection measures for the marine environment.

 

VAT Directive (2006)

  • Directive 2006/112/EC on the Common System for Value Added Tax
  • It updates legislation to clarify the EU’s VAT legislation currently in force.
  • VAT is applied to all transactions carried out in the EU for payment by a taxable person, i.e. any individual or body that supplies goods and services in the course of business. Imports by any person are also subject to VAT.
  • Taxable transactions include supplies of goods or services within the EU, intra-EU acquisitions of goods (goods supplied in and dispatched or transported by a business from one EU country to a business in another) and imports of goods into the EU from outside.

 

REACH Regulation (2006)

 

General Product Safety Directive (2001)

  • Directive 2001/95/EC on General Product Safety
  • It requires firms to ensure that items on sale are safe and to take corrective action when that is found not to be the case.
  • It introduces an EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products. This enables national authorities to share information promptly on any measures taken to withdraw such products from sale.

 

Water Directive (2000)