Broadcast United

Brussels protects entrepreneurs who speak out

Broadcast United News Desk
Brussels protects entrepreneurs who speak out

[ad_1]

In the EU, after the elections it is time to set priorities. Entrepreneurs, citizens and interest groups can participate in these initiatives.

Mario Sõrm, Allar Jõks, Nele Eichhorn and Oliver Ámarik explain how to express your wishes so that they are taken into account by the EU.

  • Mario Sõrm, Allar Jõks, Nele Eichhorn and Oliver Ámarik explain how to express your wishes so that they are taken into account by the EU. photo: Andres Ranem

The EU is one of the most transparent governments in the world, said Nele Eichhorn of the Sorainen Frequency Project at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for External Trade, which focuses on EU law.

Eichhorn encourages Estonian citizens and entrepreneurs to make their views known in the European institutions in Estonia and Brussels. Allar Jõks, partner at Sorainen, is right. He believes that it is worthwhile for associations, not just entrepreneurs, to actively participate and make their voices heard in the preparation, transposition and interpretation of EU law.

Who did it? I did it myself!

“There is a common misconception that Brussels decides and nothing is up to us. However, this is a serious misconception, because in many cases you can ask ‘who did it? ‘ and answer ‘he did it himself’,” Jokers said. “If we ignore how the positions of officials and Estonian politicians are formed in the EU legal process, then they are formed in a way that may not always be in line with Estonia’s competitiveness.”

Jokers said that during the first phase of the consultation process, when member states are asked for their opinions, each business association should be clear and willing to listen to understand what is being done and how it affects them. “There are many examples where Estonia has defended the interests of entrepreneurs in Brussels by expressing its views at this stage.”

It’s an exciting time for the EU to set its priorities after the European Parliament elections. Eichhorn believes that there are many ways to have a say in the process, but in order to directly represent interests, it is important for entrepreneurs and interest groups to participate in public consultations and register in the European Transparency Register or “Lobbying Register”. There are currently more than 12,500 people registered.

For example, in order for an Estonian entrepreneur to be able to talk to a commissioner, a member of the cabinet or a leading official of the European Commission, he must be in the transparency register.

Let’s not go too far!

Care must also be taken when translating EU law into national law to avoid over-gold-plating, i.e. unjustified over-regulation, which could harm Estonia’s competitiveness. This is a common problem, Jõks said.

For example, the Estonian Bar Association’s Competition Law Committee has identified 14 articles in the draft law that are gold-plated in terms of amendments to the Competition Act. Jõks said that the EU did not require us to make these 14 amendments, but we are trying to legalize them in the name of transposing EU law.

But what if a company objects to the transposition of a directive? “There are actually a lot of possibilities. Lawyers like to resolve all kinds of legal disputes, and they also like to create legal disputes. If we talk specifically about the transposition of EU directives, one possibility is to challenge national law if it is not directly derived from EU law. If it goes beyond the requirements of EU law,” said Jokers.

The Supreme Court also said that if Estonian law is related to the transposition of EU law, it does not mean that its constitutionality cannot be checked. “This is a very important point,” Jokers added.

The “Sorainen Frequency” programme focuses on EU law: how it is made, when and how to express your wishes so that they are taken into account, and what are Estonia’s successes and shortcomings in passing legislation coming from Brussels.

Guests of the show were Nele Eichhorn, Head of Department at the Directorate-General for External Trade of the European Commission, and Allar Jõks, Partner at Sorainen Law Firm, Head of the Country Relations Department. The show was hosted by Sorainen’s lawyers Mario Sõrm and Oliver Ámarik.

Brussels protects entrepreneurs who speak out

Return to the home page

[ad_2]

Source link

Share This Article
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *