European Commission - Daily News Daily News 01 / 07 / 2026 Brussels, 1 July 2026 Commission seeks views on simplifying rules governing housing supply in Europe The European Commission is collecting evidence on measures to simplify rules impacting housing supply and affordability, which will feed into the preparation of a Housing Simplification Package. The call for evidence targets national, regional and local author...
European Commission - Daily News Daily News 01 / 07 / 2026 Brussels, 1 July 2026 Commission seeks views on simplifying rules governing housing supply in Europe The European Commission is collecting evidence on measures to simplify rules impacting housing supply and affordability, which will feed into the preparation of a Housing Simplification Package. The call for evidence targets national, regional and local authorities, as well as all stakeholders including the housing, construction, finance and civil society sectors. The EU is facing a housing affordability crisis, and a fragmented landscape of rules in Member States leads to complexity, which increases unnecessary paperwork, delays and costs. The Commission has made simplification a core part of its work, and has already proposed over 12 large-scale simplification packages, worth around €18 billion in administrative cost savings every year. The upcoming Housing simplification package is part of such efforts. Planned for 2027 under the European Affordable Housing Plan , the initiative will examine how EU legislation influences housing supply and affordability, with the aim of helping to deliver more affordable and sustainable housing. Respondents are invited to submit evidence by 30 September 2026 on how EU rules affect housing supply, and practical suggestions for simplification and good practices. They should try to distinguish between effects resulting from EU legislation and those arising from domestic implementation or regulation. This exercise will help the EU identify, assess and address the underlying causes of regulatory complexity, delays and high costs, ultimately improving housing supply. Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen said: "To build better, more and faster, the building sector needs simpler rules. We can't combat the housing crisis without speeding up construction and renovation. We need to avoid unnecessary paperwork, costs and delays. With this simplification package, we will help deliver more affordable and sustainable homes across Europe without lowering our environmental and social protection standards." As part of the consultation process, the Commission is organising various workshops and meetings with Member States and local authorities, harnessing the potential of the newly established Housing Alliance . More information is available online. (For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Cristiana Marchitelli – Tel: +32 2 298 94 07) New E-commerce duty for small packages set to increase fairness for EU businesses and safety for consumers Starting today, the EU abolishes an outdated customs duty exemption for e-commerce packages worth less than €150. The measure will help to ensure fair conditions for EU businesses and safe choices for consumers, in response to the surge of billions of low-value e-commerce goods entering the EU. Goods coming from third countries bought online and shipped directly to consumers will now pay a €3 customs duty per item. The €150 customs duty exemption was designed for an era of occasional online purchases and less digitalised customs systems. This no longer fits reality, and its removal corrects a long-standing structural imbalance for EU enterprises. Across Europe, town high streets are becoming increasingly deserted, undermining local job opportunities and weakening community life. From an environmental perspective, the fast-paced e-commerce model contributes to packaging waste and carbon-heavy logistics, with frequent returns and long-distance shipping doubling transport pollution. This measure restores fairness across importers, ensuring that EU retailers importing in bulk, and large-scale non-EU online operators compete under the same regulatory conditions. Maros Šefčovič , EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, said: “ Open market, equal rules. The EU e-commerce market stays open – but it cannot come at the expense of European consumers and businesses. Goods entering the Union should meet the same standards of compliance and traceability as goods sold in our Single Market. Platforms and sellers profiting from European consumers must play by the same rules as European businesses. Scrapping the de minimis exemption simply brings our customs system up to speed with how trade works today – resulting in fairer competition, stronger enforcement, better consumer protection. ” More information is available online in the press release and the questions and answers . (For more information: Olof Gill - Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Paula Ritter-Moschutz - Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83) Commission seeks public input on its territorial cohesion policy The European Commission has launched a call for evidence, inviting citizens, stakeholders, and regional authorities to share their views ahead of the preparation of the 10th Cohesion Report. This report, a requirement under Article 175 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, will assess progress towards economic, social, and territorial cohesion across the EU. It will evaluate how cohesion policy aligns with key EU priorities such as boosting competitiveness and advancing the green and digital transition, while ensuring that all regions benefit from and contribute to the European single market. A central focus of the report will be the mid-term review of the 2021–2027 cohesion policy, which led Member States to reallocate €34.6 billion in cohesion funds to support strategic EU priorities including competitiveness, affordable and sustainable housing, defence, security and civil preparedness, water resilience, and the energy transition. While the report will draw on data and analysis from Eurostat and other Commission services, the call for evidence offers a unique opportunity for local authorities, businesses, and citizens to share firsthand experiences on how EU and national policies are shaping regional development and addressing key challenges. All interested parties are invited to share their contributions by 11 August via the Have your Say Portal . (For more information: Maciej Berestecki - Tel: +32 229-66483; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229-52117) European Parliament, Council and Commission receive Ombudsman Award for Excellence in Open Administration for user-friendly EU Law Tracker On Tuesday 30 June, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission won the category award ‘excellence in open administration' from the 2026 Ombudsman Award for Good Administration for the EU Law Tracker . The Award celebrates projects by EU institutions, bodies or agencies that uphold and promote a culture of good administration in the EU and have a positive impact on the lives of citizens. The Law Tracker, launched by the three institutions, in cooperation with the Publications Office, is a user-friendly online tool that brings together key legislative information in one place. The Tracker enables citizens to follow EU law-making from start to finish through a user-friendly timeline, with direct access to related documents. The Law Tracker demonstrates the European Union's commitment to transparent, open, and accessible law-making. Since 30 April 2024, the pilot version of the EU Law Tracker has been providing full coverage of ordinary legislative procedures, the main procedure by which EU laws are adopted. It offers a customisable search function, along with real-time updates on new developments and recently published documents. The EU Law Tracker also includes the Joint Declaration Tracker, which tracks the ordinary legislative procedure proposals falling under the 2026 Joint Declaration on Legislative Priorities . Following the new refinements and updates, the tool is now fully operational. The EU Law Tracker reflects the shared commitment of the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission to provide easily accessible information on the progress of EU legislation in all official EU languages. The main goal of the EU Law Tracker is transparency and traceability of laws for the general public. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Antoine Lomba - Tel.: +32 2 299 32 33) ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Dombrovskis will be in Türkiye for a High-Level Economic Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis , Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, will be in Türkiye this Thursday and Friday for an EU-Türkiye High-Level Economic Dialogue. The visit will include meetings with Turkish authorities, international financial institutions and business representatives to discuss the economic outlook, competitiveness, economic security, and opportunities to strengthen EU-Türkiye economic and investment ties. This will be the second High-Level Economic Dialogue with Türkiye since it was restored last year, as part of the EU-Türkiye reengagement and revitalised agenda that was endorsed by EU leaders back in 2024. Türkiye is a key EU partner, and the European Commission is committed to reinforcing EU- Türkiye cooperation, with more dialogue opportunities coming this fall. On Thursday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will participate, alongside Türkiye's Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, in the opening session of the Türkiye-EU governmental meeting. Their discussions will focus on the impact of the latest geopolitical developments on the global, EU and Turkish economies, economic security, and possible areas for deepening bilateral cooperation. The Commissioner will also take part in a session on the engagement of international financial institutions in Türkiye, together with representatives of multilateral development banks, including the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Council of Europe Development Bank. The High-Level Economic Dialogue will be followed by a business session, which Commissioner Dombrovskis will open jointly with Minister Şimşek. The Commissioner will then participate in a roundtable with businesses and international financial institutions on how to boost Türkiye-EU economic and investment ties. The programme will conclude with a press point, to be transmitted live on EBS at around 15:00 CEST, and a bilateral meeting between Commissioner Dombrovskis and Minister Şimşek. On Friday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will participate in a fireside chat with Sinan Ülgen, a renowned academic and Chairman of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, at the Turkish Industry and Business Association headquarters. The discussion will focus on the broader economic and geopolitical context, economic security and the prospects for EU-Türkiye economic cooperation. This will be livestreamed on EBS at 08:30 CEST. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Francisca Marçal Santos – Tel.: +32 2 299 72 36) Annual EU Budget Conference 2026: ‘Boost Europe: Leveraging the EU Budget for Strategic priorities' Tomorrow, the European Commission will hold its Annual EU Budget Conference 2026, under the title ‘ Boost Europe: Leveraging the EU Budget for strategic priorities .' This year's conference will revolve around the importance of the Union budget to deliver Union priorities, enable policy action and catalyse private investment. The conference will also examine how to better leverage the EU budget to increase policy impact, while mobilising additional financial resources. European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, Piotr Serafin , will bring together distinguished guests including Atanas Pekanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Maida Gorčević Minister of European Affairs of the Government of Montenegro, and Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Eurogroup President and Greek Minister of Economy and Finance. Members of the European Parliament, international organisations, regional representatives, CEOs, and stakeholders from the capital markets and real economy will also engage in conversations about the future of the EU Budget. The full programme of the event and a link to livestream the event are available on the dedicated website . (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Isabel Otero Barderas - Tel.: +32 2 296 69 25) Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings Note that these items can be subject to changes. Upcoming events of the European Commission Eurostat press releases Calendar items of the President and Commissioners Individual calendars of the President and Commissioners Entry into force or application of key legislation: 1 July – 15 August 2026 - T his table tracks EU legislation entering into force or becoming applicable between 1 July and 15 August 2026. Each entry identifies the piece of legislation, the date, a brief summary and relevant links. Going forward, this table will be updated and published on the European Commission's Press Corner on the first working day of each month. MEX/26/1497
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