Now that the European Parliament elections have concluded on June 6-9, 2024, newly elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) face a busy agenda of unfinished legislative work. Although the previous legislature made progress on many fronts, several major initiatives await the new lawmakers. Here are some of the key laws that the new Parliament will need to pass:
Boosting defense production
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlighting Europe’s defense vulnerabilities make regulation of the defense industry a priority. The new Parliament is due to debate the EU’s 1.5 billion euro defense industry program aimed at accelerating the manufacturing of munitions and military equipment between 2025 and 2027.
Responsibility for artificial intelligence
As AI systems become ubiquitous in sectors like healthcare and transportation, clear rules are needed to determine responsibility when they cause harm. Finalizing the AI Liability Directive will ensure that those harmed by faulty AI applications have legal recourse.
Pet welfare standards
There are currently no harmonized EU rules relating to the breeding, sale and housing of cats and dogs. Newly elected MEPs will adopt a proposed law in late 2023 aimed at establishing common standards and registration requirements to combat the illegal animal trade.
Protections for retail investors
To make investing safer and more accessible to ordinary Europeans, the new Parliament will negotiate rules requiring clearer information and a consistent regulatory framework for retail investment products.
Right to disconnect
As flexible working and personal technologies blur boundaries, MEPs could legislate on employees’ ability to disconnect from their work tasks and communications outside of office hours.
Textile and food waste
The new Parliament aims to tackle fast fashion and food waste with bold new targets for the textile and food industries to collect, sort and recycle discarded items.
2040 climate goals
Having set emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2050, establishing an intermediate target for 2040 aligned with the EU’s climate neutrality targets constitutes a major challenge.
The newly elected MEPs will also tackle the prevention of migrant smuggling, the establishment of a Europe-wide anti-corruption framework for public officials, as well as a myriad of other initiatives with impact on the lives of Europeans in the years to come. With so much unfinished business to complete, the 2024 European Parliament elections marked the start of a crucial new era for EU policymaking.
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