European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström called on the US to open talks for a new regime on aircraft subsidies
On 2 October, following the publication of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) award regarding the amount of U.S. countermeasures in the WTO Airbus dispute, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström issued a statement expressing readiness on behalf of the European Union to work with the United States on fair and balanced solutions for the respective aircraft industries.
Statement
EU guidance on the handling of visa applications from residents of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions
The European Commission and the European External Action Service have this week sent EU member states and non-EU Schengen countries guidance on how to handle visa applications lodged by residents of the non-Government controlled areas of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The guidance provides a set of uniform treatment criteria to help member states' consulates to establish the actual place of legal residence of Russian passport holders, as well as details on how to process visa applications by residents of the non-Government controlled areas of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions holding Russian passports.
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New rules make household appliances more sustainable
On 1 October, the European Commission adopted new eco-design measures for products such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and televisions. For the first time the measures explicitly require that such appliances are repairable and recyclable.. This will contribute to the objectives of the circular economy by improving their life span and by making their maintenance, re-use and upgrade easier. The new eco-design measures will also help the recycling and waste handling of appliances. The Commission estimates that combined these measures, will lead to 167 TWh of final energy savings per year by 2030. This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of Denmark and corresponds to a reduction of over 46 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. These measures can save European households on average €150 per year. The texts will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union in the coming weeks and will enter into force 20 days later.
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