EU launches infringement proceedings against Italy and 23 other countries over rules on internal market emergencies

Brussels – The European Commission decided today (15 July) to launch infringement proceedings by sending letters of formal notice to 24 Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, and Sweden) for failing to fully notify the measures adopted to transpose Directive (EU) 2024/2749 amending various EU directives relating to emergency procedures for the conformity assessment of products, the presumption of conformity, the adoption of common specifications and market surveillance in the event of an internal market emergency. 

The Commission explained that this directive was adopted on 9 October 2024, alongside the regulation establishing IMERA (the Internal Market Emergency and Resilience Act) and the omnibus regulation. “Taken together, these elements constitute the IMERA package. This is the EU’s crisis instrument designed to ensure the free movement of essential goods, services, and people, and the availability of critical supplies across the EU during a crisis. To date, none of the 24 Member States mentioned has notified the Commission of full transposition, so the Commission is sending letters of formal notice to the Member States concerned, which now have two months to respond and notify the Commission of the full transposition measures. “In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue reasoned opinions,” explained the Berlaymont Building.