Is the adoption procedure of the regulation completed?
Yes. On 8 December 2008, it was a committee of Member State representatives that endorsed the draft regulation. The draft was then sent to the European Parliament and to the Council of Member States for scrutiny, who had three months, until 15 March 2009, to endorse or reject it. Since they did not object to it, the European Commission formally adopted it on 18 March 2009. It enters into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. The first requirements will start applying from 1 September 2009, followed by five further stages in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016.
