EU Commission asks stakeholders for their positions on the blocking statute

This public consultation is open to all citizens and organisations (both in the EU and outside). The views of the following stakeholder categories are of particular:

• EU businesses (including SMEs) and their associations, representations and unions, including trade associations and foreign businesses active in the EU
• EU countries’ public authorities, in the form of central, regional, or other decentralized authorities
• Research and academic institutions, think tanks, consultancies
• Non-governmental organisations
• Finally, non-EU governments and non-EU businesses, as well as international institutions and bodies

The questionnaire seeks your feedback on a possible amendment to Council Regulation (EC) No. 2271/96 (‘blocking statute’), adopted in 1996. The aim of the ‘blocking statute’ is to protect EU individuals and companies from having to comply with the extra-territorial application of third-country laws and measures. As announced in its Communication “The European economic and financial system: fostering openness, strength and resilience” of 19 January 2021, the Commission would like to review the blocking statute in order to (i) include additional deterrence mechanisms and (ii) streamline the application of the Regulation, including by reducing compliance costs for EU persons and businesses The consultation allows a wide-range of stakeholders and citizens to make their views and interests known and to feed into the preparatory work of the Commission.

You can contribute to this consultation by filling in the online questionnaire. If you are unable to use the online questionnaire, please contact us using the email address below.

Questionnaires are available in some or all official EU languages. You can submit your responses in any official EU language.

For reasons of transparency, organisations and businesses taking part in public consultations are asked to register in the EU’s Transparency Register.