EU regulations are a legal proceeding of the European Union which becomes enforceable as legal law in all Member states simultaneously unless otherwise specified by the EU Regulation concerning Legal Transposition. Such regulations can be further divided into directives and penal laws. Directives are binding legal acts of the EU that have to be implemented without changes to the Treaties. However, national laws are allowed to be amended in line with the objectives of the EU Regulation. Therefore, a directive cannot be applied retrospectively.
There is no legal obstacle to the European Union member states having laws that conflict with those of the EU Regulation. In such cases, they are harmonized through a procedure called transposition. There are two procedures for harmonization of regulations: direct and indirect. In direct regulations, the EU regulation itself is translated into legal acts by the member states. The Commission may propose an activity for inclusion in the Schengen agreement.
An example of direct regulation is the European Union (EU) Working Time Directive. This came into force on 1st May 2021, together with the Lisbon Treaty. The purpose of this act is to set down rules regarding working time within the EU.
An example of indirect regulation is the European Council Decision. This was decided by the Heads of delegation of each member state. The decision concerns the competence of certain institutions of the EU. Therefore, this decision can only be adopted by the qualified majority of the member states, which are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia Republic, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The decision does not bind the other member states, but they will respect it.
Another example is the European Drinking Water Regulation. This is the main regulation concerning standards of drinking water across the EU. Its decisions have far-reaching effects on the environment, as well as on the functioning of the health sector. Another important example is the European Forest Regulation.
What are European standards? They are measurements or specifications necessary to set the standard of quality that businesses have to work with every day. For example, if you are planning to import materials or equipment, you will need to ensure that they are safe for consumption somewhere else in the EU. There is still a lot to do to make sure that harmonized standards and regulations work together, and it is something that all leaders of the industry have to take on board.
