2020-04-20 Circular E.09.2020-NOTICIAS EUROLAB AISBL I
2020-04-20 Circular E.09.2020-NOTICIAS RECOPILADAS POR EUROLAB AISBL I
CIRCULAR INFORMATIVA N.º: E.09/2020
ASUNTO: NOTICIAS RECOPILADAS POR EUROLAB AISBL I
Fecha: 20 de abril de 2020
Estimados asociados de EUROLAB-España,
Enviamos un listado de noticias recopiladas por EUROLAB AISBL, con sus correspondientes links para ampliar información, por si fueran de vuestro interés.
Many Shoppers Worry about Fake Goods During COVID-19 Outbreak
- According to a new report from brand protection firm Red Points, 73% of consumers will increase online shopping if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, and 58% of consumers have already bought more goods online than usual.
- The report also highlighted online shoppers' quality concerns. Per the report, 68% of U.S. consumers are worried that there might be more counterfeit or poor-quality products sold online as a result of the pandemic, but 45% of respondents said they were unaware of product counterfeiting.
- Among the top criteria online shoppers valued the most were: product quality (62.1%), speed of delivery (56.6%), price (53.6%) and trustworthiness (51.8%), per the report.
Source: RetailDive
Criminals and merchants flock to coronavirus website names: Domains are used for online scams, hacking and spreading misinformation about the pandemic.
Cybercriminals and speculators looking to cash in on widespread anxiety are fuelling a boom in internet domain names that refer to the coronavirus outbreak — many of which could be used for criminal activity, experts warn.
One example of the gold rush: Coronavirus.be is for sale for €3,000. Its owner, Onur Korkut, told POLITICO in an email that he bought the domain name at the end of February for as little as €12 — the standard price for a Belgian domain name. Korkut is one of many who saw a business opportunity in the websites and domain names linked to the coronavirus and its disease, COVID-19. Other web addresses, like coronavirus.com, have been put to use by governments and health authorities for public awareness and information campaigns.
Source: Politico.
FEFAC: Feed safety will not be compromised by new EU Commission COVID-19 measures
The EU Commission published measures on March 30 that allows member states to carry out official controls on the agri-food chain - animals, plants food and feed - on a more flexible basis, in order to tackle the specific challenges of the situation due to COVID-19.
Source: FeedNavigator
EFSA chief: EU food safety rules ensure protection against COVID-19
Although coronavirus can survive on surfaces for a limited time, food safety regulations in EU member states ensure a high level of protection against contaminated food, said the chief of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Bernhard Url in an interview.
Source: Euractiv.
NGOs criticise Commission over CAP impact on biodiversity
Environmental NGOs have accused the European Commission of “greenwashing” and cherry-picking positive messages from an EU-funded independent evaluation study about the impact of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on habitats, landscapes and biodiversity.
Source: Euractiv.
EPP calls for further postponement of Farm to Fork strategy
The European People’s Party (EPP) group has called for another postponement of the planned Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) until at least after the summer, citing the “crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic”, but its position has been met with criticism from some stakeholders.
Source: Euractiv.
Despite health crisis, EU presses on with 2030 climate agenda
As the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the European Commission has tried to stay the course on green policies, launching a public consultation on Tuesday (30 March) to raise the bloc’s climate target for 2030. “While all the Commission’s immediate political focus is on the task of combating the coronavirus, we are continuing our preparatory work on long-term policy priorities including the European Green Deal,” the Commission said in a statement. The online public consultation will seek input into the EU’s updated climate target for 2030 and determine whether the bloc should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% or 55% compared to 1990 levels, up from 40% currently.
“Revising the current 2030 target upwards will put the EU on a more gradual pathway to climate-neutrality by 2050,” the Commission’s statement said.
Source: EURACTIV
New rules for external power supplies will enable household energy savings and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The new Commission regulation on external power supplies aimed at making a range of household appliances – from laptops to electric toothbrushes – more energy efficient enters into force as of 1 April 2020 within the context of EU ecodesign measures.
Source: EU Reporter.
EU carbon market emissions (excluding aviation) fell 8.7% in 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions regulated under Europe’s carbon market fell by 8.7% last year, according to preliminary like-for-like European Commission data examined by carbon analysts at Refinitiv. Around 45% of the European Union’s output of greenhouse gases is regulated by the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the bloc’s flagship policy to tackle global warming by charging for the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2).
The Refinitiv carbon analysts’ interpretation of the data found stationary emissions covered by the scheme such as power plants and factories, totalled 1.536 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), down 8.7% on the previous year.
The fall was largely due to a drop in emissions from power generation as coal-fired output was replaced by gas-fired generation and renewable power such as wind and solar.
Source: Euractiv.
Tackling the current outbreak
The European Commission has allocated €48.5 million tor 18 research projects within Horizon 2020, the EU’s framework programme for funding research.
The 140 research teams from across the EU and beyond that are participating in these projects are working on:
- improving preparedness and response to outbreaks by developing better monitoring systems to prevent and control the spread of the virus
- rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, enabing quicker and more accurate diagnosis
- new treatments
- developing new vaccines
Source: European Parliament.
New control material developed by Commission scientists to help prevent #Coronavirus test failures: European Commission scientists have designed new control material that laboratories can use to check the correct functioning of their coronavirus tests and to avoid false negatives.
Source: EU Reporter.
This is how the EU’s €100 billion corona-fund will work
Member states will provide guarantees to raise up to €100 billion for a new temporary fund to support workers in countries that have been hit hard by coronavirus, such as Italy and Spain, according to the draft proposal seen by EURACTIV.com.
Source: Euractiv.
Coronavirus: Commission presents practical guidance to ensure the free movement of critical workers
The Commission has issued new practical advice to ensure that mobile workers within the EU, in particular those in critical occupations to fight the coronavirus pandemic, can reach their workplace. This includes but is not limited to those working in the health care and food sectors, and other essential services like childcare, elderly care, and critical staff for utilities.
Source: European Commission.
5 options for Europe to fight a coronavirus recession: Leaders asked finance ministers for proposals. At the link below you can find the choices in front of them.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) – which represents the likes of Ford, Honda and Volkswagen – said in a letter addressed to six European Commissioners on Wednesday (25 March) that “we have never experienced anything like this [coronavirus]”.
ACEA and a number of groups linked to the industry warned that a lack of production, development and testing, caused by factory closures and disrupted supply chains, will hurt the sector’s timetable.
“This upsets the plans we had made to prepare ourselves for complying with existing and future EU laws and regulations within the applicable deadlines set in these regulations,” the letter reads.
It adds that “we believe therefore that some adjustment would need to be made to the timing of these laws” but insists that carmakers do not seek to undermine the objectives of the rules, such as tackling climate change.
Source: Politico.
Coronavirus-hit carmakers urge EU to pull legislative handbrake
Europe’s largest auto manufacturers have argued that the coronavirus outbreak will limit their ability to comply with EU rules aimed at cleaning up the sector’s carbon footprint.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) – which represents the likes of Ford, Honda and Volkswagen – said in a letter addressed to six European Commissioners on Wednesday (25 March) that “we have never experienced anything like this [coronavirus]”.
ACEA and a number of groups linked to the industry warned that a lack of production, development and testing, caused by factory closures and disrupted supply chains, will hurt the sector’s timetable.
“This upsets the plans we had made to prepare ourselves for complying with existing and future EU laws and regulations within the applicable deadlines set in these regulations,” the letter reads.
It adds that “we believe therefore that some adjustment would need to be made to the timing of these laws” but insists that carmakers do not seek to undermine the objectives of the rules, such as tackling climate change.
Source: Euractiv.
Se adjunta circular en los siguientes enlaces:
https://eurolab.com.es/documentos/?grupo=63
http://www.eurolab.org.es/documentos.php?sec=1&sub=13
Recibid un cordial y afectuoso saludo,
Elena García Hernanz
Secretaria Administrativa de EUROLAB-España