Summary of Recent EU Legislative Developments
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act)
This act establishes a harmonized legal framework for the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence systems within the EU. It categorizes AI systems based on a risk-based approach—ranging from “unacceptable risk” (which are prohibited), to “high-risk” (subject to strict compliance requirements), and systems with specific transparency obligations. The text mandates data governance standards, technical documentation requirements, and human oversight mechanisms for high-risk systems to ensure fundamental rights and safety are upheld.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation)
This act sets out a framework to improve the circularity and environmental sustainability of products placed on the internal market. It introduces requirements for product durability, reusability, upgradability, and reparability. The legislation establishes a “Digital Product Passport” system to track the lifecycle and environmental impact of products, aiming to phase out the destruction of unsold consumer goods and reduce overall resource consumption.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 (Shipment of Waste Regulation)
This act revises the rules governing the movement of waste within and outside the European Union. It introduces stricter criteria for exporting waste to non-EU countries, requiring recipient nations to demonstrate the capacity to manage waste in an environmentally sound manner. The text promotes the shift toward a circular economy by facilitating the transport of waste for recovery within the EU while imposing stringent digital verification procedures for all waste shipments.
Directive (EU) 2024/1760 (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive)
This directive mandates that large companies operating in the EU integrate due diligence into their business policies. It requires firms to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for adverse human rights and environmental impacts—such as child labor, slavery, pollution, and biodiversity loss—not only within their own operations but also across their upstream and downstream supply chains.
