May infringements package: EU key decisions

Overview by policy area

In its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission pursues legal action against Member States for failing to comply with their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various sectors and EU policy areas, aim to ensure the proper application of EU law for the benefit of citizens and businesses.

The key decisions taken by the Commission are presented below and grouped by policy area. The Commission is also closing 70 cases in which the issues with the Member States concerned have been solved without the Commission needing to pursue the procedure further.

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID- 19 outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ and, on 11 March, characterised it as a pandemic. While the Commission has made it clear that it will continue to pursue infringement proceedings in cases it deems necessary, it has also acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing measures to combat the pandemic have put a serious strain on national administrations.

In particular, in certain cases the crisis may also affect the capacity of the Member States’ administrations to ensure the implementation of EU law. In light of this, the Commission recently informed the Member States that the time periods for replies to ongoing infringement procedures launched since the beginning of the year have been extended. And today, it has been decided to give Member States the possibility to reply to each letter of formal notice and reasoned opinion submitted in this infringements package, within four months instead of the usual two months.

For more information on the EU infringement procedure, see the full MEMO/12/12. For more detail on all decisions taken, consult the infringement decisions’ register.