Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission has taken action against a number of EU Member States that have not notified it of the measures they have taken to incorporate EU directives into their national laws. The deadline for incorporating these directives has recently passed. The Commission sends a formal notification letter to these Member States, giving them two months to respond and complete the incorporation of the directives. If they fail to do so, the Commission may issue a stronger warning, known as a "considered opinion."
The Member States concerned have failed to fully incorporate five EU directives related to energy, health, financial stability, and transport. The Commission has urged these countries to take immediate action to align their laws with EU requirements.
The European Commission has called on Member States to implement new electricity market design rules. The European Commission decided today to open infringement proceedings by sending formal notice letters to 26 Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden) for not fully implementing certain provisions of the amended Directive 2024/EU/1711, adopted last year, into their national laws. Member States were required to notify each other of the implementation of the Directive by January 17, 2025, with the exception of the provisions relating to the freedom to choose suppliers and energy sharing, which have a deadline of July 17, 2026. These new rules, drawn up in the wake of a sharp rise in energy prices, were agreed upon by Member States and the European Parliament last year and aim to make electricity prices for consumers more stable and less dependent on the price of fossil fuels. Implementing this legislation is essential to ensure that European consumers (both households and businesses) bear energy costs that better reflect the declining production costs of renewable energy sources and to ensure greater price predictability. The reformed electricity market design also provides better consumer protection, both in terms of expanded options when signing contracts and in the event of a service interruption. To date, only Denmark has announced full implementation of the Directive by the statutory deadline. The Commission is therefore sending formal notification letters to the other 26 Member States. These countries now have two months to respond, complete the implementation of the Directive, and inform the Commission of its actions. If a satisfactory response is not received, the Commission may issue a reasoned opinion.
The European Commission has called on Member States to implement the agreed provisions on the phasing out of financial incentives for independent fossil-fuel boilers under the revised Energy Performance Directive for Buildings. The European Commission today decided to open infringement proceedings by sending letters of formal notice to nine Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia) for their failure to fully implement Article 17(15) of the Revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2024/1275 in their national laws. The revised Directive entered into force on 28 May 2024, with a general transition deadline of 29 May 2026. The phase-out of the financial incentives for fossil-fuel boilers provided for in Article 17(15) must have been completed by 1 January 2025. The European Environment Directive sets out how the EU can achieve a fully carbon-neutral building stock by 2050 and thus reduce the energy bills of European citizens by enhancing the structural energy performance of buildings. In this context, as of 1 January 2025 at the latest, Member States must not provide any financial incentives for the installation of new fossil-fuel-fired independent boilers. To date, nine Member States have not declared full Article 17(15) transposition by the statutory deadline. The Commission is therefore sending them formal notice letters. These Member States now have two months to respond, complete the transposition, and inform the Commission of its actions. If a satisfactory response is not received, the Commission may issue a reasoned opinion.
The Commission calls on Member States to fully implement the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) Directive.
The European Commission has decided to open infringement proceedings by sending a formal notice letter to 13 Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Slovenia) for not fully implementing the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) Directive (Directive (EU) 2022/2556). Member states were required to implement the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) Directive into their national laws by 17 January 2025. The DORA Directive aims to establish clear and consistent rules for digital operational resilience for financial entities such as banks, insurance companies, and investment firms, ensuring the smooth functioning of the single market.
Full implementation of the legislation is essential to strengthening the digital operational resilience of financial entities across the EU by addressing the risks associated with the increasing digitalization of financial services. To this end, the Commission is sending formal notification letters to the 13 Member States concerned, which will have two months to respond, complete their transmission, and inform the Commission of its actions. If no satisfactory response is received, the Commission may issue a reasoned opinion.

According to the European statement distributed in Brussels, a copy of which we received, the Commission called on Member States to fully transpose social legislation in the field of road transport. Today, the European Commission decided to initiate infringement proceedings by sending a formal notice letter to 16 Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden) for not fully transposing social legislation related to road transport activities. Member States are required to implement Delegated Directive 2024/846 into their national laws by 14 February 2025. This directive updates the rules for classifying infringements that may harm the reputation of road transport operators, as set out in Regulation 1071/2009, which sets common standards for road transport operators providing road transport services within the European Union. Therefore, the Commission is sending formal letters of notification to the Member States concerned, which now have two months to respond, complete its implementation, and inform the Commission of its actions. If a satisfactory response is not received, the Commission may issue a reasoned opinion.
The Commission has called on Member States to fully implement the Directive on 2-methyloxolane as an extraction solvent used in the production of foodstuffs and food ingredients. The European Commission decided today to open infringement proceedings by sending formal letters of notification to five Member States (Denmark, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, and Sweden) for not fully notifying them of their national measures for the implementation of Commission Directive (EU) 2023/175. Member States were required to implement this Directive in their national laws by 16 February 2025. The Directive aims to include 2-methyloxolane in the EU list of extraction solvents authorized for use in the production of foodstuffs, food ingredients, or food components, by amending Directive 2009/32/EC. Full implementation of the legislation is essential for continued coordination among all Member States in the field of food safety. Therefore, the Commission sends formal letters of notification to the Member States concerned, which now have two months to respond to complete the transfer process and inform the Commission of its actions. If a satisfactory response is not received, the Commission may issue a reasoned opinion.