C.2 Fact Sheets on the European Union: Internal Market, Economy, and Sectoral Policies

A set of 50 comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key treaties, regulations, directives, legal rulings, institutions, and core concepts of the European Union internal market, industrial strategy, energy policy, environment, and economic governance.

Internal Market

An area without internal frontiers established by the EU in which the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital is ensured.

Procureur du Roi v Benoît and Gustave Dassonville (Case 8-74)

A 1974 Court of Justice ruling establishing that all trading rules enacted by Member States capable of hindering intra-EU trade, directly or indirectly, actually or potentially, constitute measures having an effect equivalent to quantitative restrictions.

Cassis de Dijon (Case 120/78)

A 1979 Court of Justice judgment establishing the principle of mutual recognition, whereby any product lawfully manufactured and marketed in one Member State must be admitted to the market of any other Member State.

Keck Judgment (1993)

A Court of Justice ruling establishing that non-discriminatory national rules restricting or prohibiting certain selling arrangements fall outside the prohibition on measures having equivalent effect to quantitative restrictions.

Principle of Mutual Recognition

The principle that, even in the absence of EU legal harmonisation, goods, services, or diplomas legally approved and marketed in one EU country must generally be accepted across other EU countries.

Single European Act

An EU treaty that entered into force on 1 July 1987, strengthening internal market decision-making by introducing qualified majority voting and setting a deadline of 31 December 1992 for removing barriers.

European Economic Area (EEA)

An agreement that entered into force on 1 January 1994, bringing three EFTA countries—Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway—into the EU internal market on an equal footing.

CE Mark (Conformité Européenne)

A visible marking indicating that a product complies with all mandatory health, safety, and environmental protection requirements set out in relevant EU product legislation.

eCall Regulation

EU legislation making it mandatory for all new models of cars and light commercial vehicles approved for manufacture after 31 March 2018 to have an automated emergency response call system installed.

EU Single Window Environment for Customs

A digital framework established by a 2022 regulation to enable seamless electronic data exchange between customs administrations, national partner authorities, the Commission, and economic operators.

Anti-Coercive Instrument (ACI)

An EU trade mechanism entering into force on 27 December 2023, designed to deter and respond to economic coercion from non-EU countries seeking to pressure the EU or its Member States.

Services Directive (Directive 2006/123/EC)

An EU directive aimed at completing the single market in services by eliminating barriers to cross-border service provision, simplifying administrative procedures, and establishing points of single contact.

European Labour Authority (ELA)

An EU agency established in 2019 to enforce EU rules on labour mobility and social security coordination, facilitate joint cross-border labour inspections, and mediate in cross-border disputes.

European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS)

A digital initiative designed to facilitate real-time cross-border verification and portability of social security entitlements for mobile workers across the EU.

European Professional Card

An electronic certificate introduced under the revised Professional Qualifications Directive to simplify and accelerate the recognition of qualifications for select regulated professions across EU countries.

Digital Single Market (DSM)

An EU policy framework designed to eliminate online barriers across Member States, ensuring free movement of digital goods and services, secure data flows, and fair platform competition.

Artificial Intelligence Act

The first horizontal regulatory framework for AI, entering into force on 1 August 2024, which bans unacceptable practices such as social scoring and sets strict requirements for general-purpose and high-risk AI.

Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065)

An EU regulation applicable since February 2024 that establishes comprehensive obligations for online intermediary platforms to counter illegal content and protect users' fundamental rights.

Digital Markets Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/1925)

An EU regulation imposing ex ante rules and obligations on designated large digital platform 'gatekeepers' to guarantee open and contestable digital markets.

Gigabit Infrastructure Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1309)

An EU regulation fully applicable from November 2025 that replaces the 2014 Broadband Cost Reduction Directive to support faster, cost-effective deployment of very-high-capacity gigabit networks across the EU.

Roam Like at Home

An EU rule established by the Roaming Regulation that mandated the end of retail mobile roaming charges within the EU as of 15 June 2017, extended through legislation until 2032.

European Electronic Communications Code (EECC)

Directive (EU) 2018/1972 updating EU telecommunications regulations to stimulate competition, modernise connectivity rules, and enhance consumer protection across Member States.

EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)

An EU agency established under the third energy package that assists national regulatory authorities in coordinating cross-border electricity and gas infrastructure, drafting network codes, and investigating market abuse.

Energy Unbundling

The mandatory regulatory separation of energy generation and supply activities from transmission network operations to prevent anti-competitive conduct and ensure fair grid access.

Fit for 55

A comprehensive legislative package designed to align EU energy and climate laws with the legally binding target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least $55\%$ by 2030.

Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)

The primary public procurement award criterion in the EU, allowing contracting authorities to award contracts based on best value for money, including quality, environmental, social, and life cycle cost criteria.

Standstill Period

A mandatory interval of at least 10 days under the 2007 Remedies Directive between the award decision and the signing of a public procurement contract, allowing unsuccessful bidders time to challenge the decision.

Societas Europaea (SE)

An autonomous European public limited liability company form established under Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001, requiring a minimum share capital of $\text{EUR } 120\,000$.

European Cooperative Society (SCE)

An EU legal entity created under Regulation (EC) No 1435/2003 enabling cooperatives to operate across Member States under a single legal statute with a minimum capital requirement of $\text{EUR } 30\,000$.

European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)

A pan-European legal entity established under Regulation (EEC) No 2137/85 enabling cross-border joint cooperation between businesses or natural persons without seeking to generate profits for the grouping itself.

EU Inc. (28th Regime)

A proposed autonomous EU corporate legal form presented in March 2026 allowing 48-hour digital company incorporation at a maximum cost of $\text{EUR } 100$ with no minimum capital requirement.

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDD Directive)

Directive (EU) 2024/1760 requiring large companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and bring to an end adverse human rights and environmental impacts within their operations and value chains.

Exhaustion of Rights Doctrine

A legal principle providing that once a product protected by an intellectual property right is placed on the EU single market by the rights holder or with their consent, the IPR holder can no longer prevent its resale.

Unitary Patent

An EU patent entering into force on 1 June 2023 providing uniform patent protection with equal effect across participating Member States under the jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court.

Geographical Indication (GI)

An intellectual property right that protects product names whose specific quality, reputation, or characteristics are linked directly to their geographical origin against imitation and misuse.

Posted Worker

An employee sent temporarily by an employer to carry out work or provide a service in another EU Member State while remaining covered by home social security rules for up to two years.

Yellow Card Procedure

A subsidiarity control mechanism triggered when at least one third of national parliamentary chambers issue reasoned opinions asserting that an EU legislative proposal violates the principle of subsidiarity.

Safety Gate

The EU rapid alert system established under the General Product Safety Regulation allowing Member States and the Commission to share information quickly on non-food consumer products posing health and safety risks.

Dark Patterns

Deceptive online interface designs and practices intended to materially distort, manipulate, or impair the ability of consumers to make autonomous and informed choices.

Multimodal Journey

A travel journey combining multiple transport modes, such as rail, air, maritime, or bus, undertaken using a single contract or ticket.

European Health Data Space (EHDS)

An EU regulatory framework entering into force in March 2025 enabling individuals to control their electronic health data and allowing secure cross-border health data reuse for research and innovation.

Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs)

Innovative medicines based on cellular and molecular biotechnology, comprising gene therapy, somatic cell therapy, and tissue-engineered products.

Orphan Medicinal Products

Medicines specifically developed to diagnose, prevent, or treat rare, life-threatening or debilitating conditions affecting no more than $5\text{ in }10\,000$ people in the EU.

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF)

An EU information-exchange tool established under the General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) allowing Member States and the Commission to coordinate rapid responses to food and feed safety threats.

Novel Foods

Foods or ingredients not consumed to a significant degree within the EU prior to 15 May 1997, requiring a centralized scientific safety evaluation by EFSA before being authorized for sale.

Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA)

An EU industrial initiative setting domestic manufacturing benchmarks for strategic net-zero technologies by 2030 and introducing fast-track permitting for clean-tech projects.

One In, One Out Approach

A regulatory principle introduced in the Commission's 2021 Better Regulation communication to offset any newly introduced administrative burden by removing an equivalent existing burden.

Energy Efficiency First Principle

A legally binding principle in the revised Energy Efficiency Directive requiring EU countries to prioritize energy-efficient solutions in all policy, planning, and major investment decisions.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

An EU climate measure fully applicable from 1 January 2026 requiring importers of carbon-intensive goods to purchase carbon certificates, equalising carbon prices with domestic producers to prevent carbon leakage.

Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP)

The corrective arm of the EU Stability and Growth Pact (Article 126 TFEU) triggered when a Member State's government deficit exceeds $3\%$ of GDP or gross public debt exceeds $60\%$ of GDP without sufficient reduction.