Review of Legislative Acts
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act)
This act establishes a harmonized legal framework for the development, placing on the market, and use of artificial intelligence systems in the Union. It categorizes AI systems based on a risk-based approach, imposing strict obligations on providers and deployers of “high-risk” AI systems, while explicitly prohibiting certain AI practices deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to fundamental rights, such as manipulative techniques, social scoring, and untargeted scraping of facial images.
Directive (EU) 2024/1785 (Amending the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)
This directive mandates that large undertakings and listed SMEs disclose comprehensive information regarding their social and environmental impact. It introduces binding European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), requiring companies to report on human rights, environmental factors, and governance issues, ensuring that sustainability information is subject to mandatory external audit and integrated into the company’s management report.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1747 (Gas and Hydrogen Market Regulation)
This regulation sets out the rules for the transmission, distribution, supply, and storage of natural gas and hydrogen. It focuses on the integration of renewable and low-carbon gases into the existing grid, facilitating the development of a hydrogen infrastructure and enhancing security of supply through cross-border coordination mechanisms and common rules for third-party access to networks.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 (Geographical Indications for Wine, Spirit Drinks and Agricultural Products)
This act streamlines the protection of geographical indications (GIs) across the Union. It centralizes the registration process for intellectual property rights related to food and beverage products, strengthens the powers of producer groups to enforce their rights against misuse or imitation, and mandates more rigorous sustainability requirements for the production of products seeking GI recognition.