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4.185. The EU's work towards a clean, sustainable and competitive automotive industry encompasses a wide range of policy areas and initiatives: ensuring that emissions legislation is respected, introducing more robust and accurate emissions tests, proposing a full overhaul of the type approval system, promoting a shift to zero-emissions vehicles, and fostering connected mobility solutions, equipment and vehicles and a modern infrastructure to support them.

4.186. The EU automotive industry is trying to maintain its competitiveness on the global stage (...) Issues which are likely to affect the industry going forward include :
(...)
• strengthening regulations on both safety and environmental impact from all major markets, (...)
• a significant shift towards electro mobility, as nations across the world move towards reducing their environmental impact (e.g. GHG) and as cities aim to tackle increasing air pollution levels;
(...)
• concern that some of the differentiators that European vehicle manufactures have enjoyed, such as leading performance on comfort, environmental impact and safety, are declining as other manufacturers (particularly from emerging markets) gain ground in these areas.

4.192. The EU's horizontal and principal regulation concerning chemicals is the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). In addition, there is the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP), and vertical regulations for specific families of products, such as fertilizers, pesticides and biocides, detergents, explosives, pyrotechnic articles, drug precursors, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food contact materials, or for specific areas, such as the workplace (workers' legislation framework and related directives on chemicals), industry (Industrial Emissions Directive) and air (Ambient Air Quality Directive).

4.193. REACH entered into force on 1 June 2007 and its provisions were phased in over 11 years. It aims at ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, promoting alternative methods to assess the hazards of substances, the free circulation of substances on the internal market, and the enhancement of competitiveness and innovation in the EU chemical industry. It gives greater responsibility to the industry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the substances, and calls for the progressive substitution of the most hazardous chemicals when suitable alternatives exist. By providing knowledge about the hazardous properties of chemicals and appropriate safety information, REACH aims to enhance the communication and implementation of conditions of safe use in the supply chains and the substitution of hazardous substances by less dangerous ones. In addition, through different types of measures on substances of very high concern, REACH seeks to reduce the risks to human health and the environment at the EU level.

4.195. According to the 2018 REACH Review, more information on the properties and uses of chemicals is now available and is being used for the assessment and management of risks, indicating that REACH is progressively improving the protection of human health and the environment in the EU. (...) Following the Review, and in cooperation with member States and the ECHA, the Commission proposed a number of actions intended to improve implementation and reduce burdens in relation to e.g. compliance of registration dossiers, the extended Safety Data Sheets, and the process to apply for authorization and restriction – without incurring reductions in the level of protection of human health and the environment.

4.199. The EU's steel industry is world-leading in certain steel product segments, and represents 1.3% of GDP. (...) It is 100% recyclable, and therefore is a fundamental part of the circular economy. As a basic engineering material, it is also an essential factor in the development and deployment of innovative, CO2-mitigating technologies, improving resource efficiency, and fostering sustainable development.

4.202. (...) As a result, in 2016, the Commission presented its communication "Steel: Preserving sustainable jobs and growth in Europe", with the following actions:
(...)
• focussing policies in areas like competition, energy, emissions trading and the circular economy: state aid rules provide ample opportunities for member States to support cross border technology, research and innovation, and renewable energy schemes.

4.240. In March 2019, the European Parliament and EU member States reached agreement on reforms of the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS) , based on two proposals made by the Commission in September 2017 and September 2018. Key aspects of these reforms include : (...) (v) inclusion of provisions on sustainable finance, requiring the ESAs to integrate environmental, social and governance criteria into their work; (...)

4.242. Three CMU legislative proposals of the Commission pertain to measures that seek to promote environmentally sustainable activities, through, inter alia, resource-efficient and circular economy approaches.

4.244. Agreement was also reached, in February 2019, on a proposal for a regulation on low-carbon and positive-carbon impact. It creates new market standards which will reflect companies' carbon footprint, and give investors clearer information on how their investments contribute to fighting climate change.