Europe Daily News, 08 May 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11520 - Sefe / Wiga / Wiga GP)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11429 - TIL / PBV / PSA Canada Ventures)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11470 - BASF / Harbour Energy / Assets of Wintershall DEA)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11166 - Equinor / Shell / TotalEnergies / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11476 - Nippon Steel/ United States Steel)
• Commission authorises the acquisition of Mailstep by CVC and EMMA (M.11505) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of REIN by Hydro Energi and MIRACL (M.11388) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of East Grain by Agrofert (M.11448) - Midday Express
• Belgium - Notification CONC-CC-24/0005: Julius Blum / Van Hoecke
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt: Green light for reusable system in the plant trade to reduce plastic waste
• UK - CMA calls on grocery stores to make accurate pricing a priority

STATE AID

• The General Court of the European Union annuls the decision of the Commission to approve restructuring aid for charter airline Condor (See CPR No 83/2024 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-28/22 - Ryanair Vs. Commission - State aid)
• EFTA Surveillance Authority - Decision No. 039/24/COL of 27 March 2024 to open a formal investigation into exemptions from the excise duty on waste incineration and the CO2 tax on LPG and natural gas for undertakings covered by the ETS - Invitation to submit comments on state aid issues pursuant to Articles 4(4) in Part II and 1(2) in Part I of Protocol 3 to the Agreement between the EFTA States on the Establishment of a Surveillance Authority and a Court of Justice concerning the abovementioned measures

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Full Members) - 16 May 2024
• Agenda for: 4th meeting of the Ports Alliance Customs Group -14 May2024
• Minutes of the 1st Informal Expert Group on the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) - 23 April 2024
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1273 of 7 May 2024 terminating the investigation of the possible circumvention, by imports of biodiesel consigned from the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom, whether declared as originating in the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom or not, of the countervailing measures concerning imports of biodiesel originating in Indonesia, and terminating the registration of imports
• Judgment of the General Court of 08 May 2024 in Case T‑629/21, Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları TAŞ, İskenderun Demir ve Çelik AŞ, Erdemir Çelik Servis Merkezi Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Dumping - Imports of certain hot-rolled flat products of iron, non-alloy or other alloy steel originating in Türkiye - Definitive anti-dumping duties - Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1100 - Adjustment - Article 2(10)(j) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 - Conversion of currencies - Hedging gains and losses - Article 2(5) and (6) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Calculation of costs - Exchange rate gains and losses - Manifest error of assessment - Right to be heard
• Judgment of the General Court of 08 May 2024 in Case T‑630/21, Çolakoğlu Metalurji AŞ, Çolakoğlu Dış Ticaret AŞ, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Dumping - Imports of certain hot-rolled flat products of iron, non-alloy or other alloy steel originating in Türkiye - Definitive anti-dumping duties - Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1100 - Adjustment - Article 2(10)(b), (i) and (j) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 - Functions similar to those of an agent working on a commission basis - Single economic entity - Import duties - Calculation of the dumping margin - Hedging gains and losses - Manifest error of assessment - Right to be heard
• Remarks by EVP Šefčovič at the press conference on the EU Association Agreement with Andorra and San Marino
• Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski to a MEP written question - Stabilisation of the EU market in agricultural products

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Request by Ireland to add the D9+ Ministerial Declaration to the agenda of Competitiveness Council on 24 May 2024
• Information by the delegations on the need to eliminate territorial supply constraints on the Single Market - Information by the delegations of the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Luxembourg and Slovakia
• Directive (EU) 2024/1306 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards the time limits for the adoption of sustainability reporting standards for certain sectors and for certain third-country undertakings
• Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on type-approval of motor vehicles and engines and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, with respect to their emissions and battery durability (Euro 7), amending Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Regulation (EU) No 582/2011, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1151, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2400 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1362

FINANCE

• Agenda for: Att. & Exp. Financial Services & Banking Union (Payment Services/Open Finance) - 16 May 2024
• Agenda for: 30th Meeting of the CEG on Banking, Payments and Insurance - 15 May 2024
• Progress on key financial services legislative files - 14 May 2024
• The EBA publishes final draft technical standards under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation

EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL POLICY

• Decision (EU) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from
  - Germany - EGF/2023/003 DE/Vallourec ((EU) 2024/1298)
  - Denmark - EGF/2023/004 DK/Danish Crown ((EU) 2024/1299)
• Decision (EU) 2024/1300 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF/2024/000 TA 2024 - Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission)
• Commission publishes country-specific analysis on social convergence for seven Member States in the context of the European Semester - Midday Express
• ACER approves the European Resource Adequacy Assessment (ERAA), marking a milestone for the security of electricity supply across EU Member States

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 14 May 2024
• Directive (EU) 2024/1275 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on the energy performance of buildings (recast)

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues
  - Int. Chemicals/Synergies - 17 May 2024
  - Climate change - 16 May 2024
  - UNECE CLRTAP - 14 May 2024
• Fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-4) (Ottawa, Canada, 23-29 April 2024) - Compilation of statements by the EU and its Member States

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme glucan 1,4‐α‐glucosidase from the non‐genetically modified Rhizopus arrhizus strain AE‐G
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme β‐amylase from the non‐genetically modified Bacillus flexus strain AE‐BAF
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of muramidase produced with Trichoderma reesei DSM 32338 (Balancius™) for laying hens (DSM nutritional products)
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Efficacy of a feed additive consisting of ferrous lysinate sulfate for all animal species (Phytobiotis Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH)
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Assessment of the feed additive consisting of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei ATCC PTA‐6135 for all animal species for the renewal of its authorisation (Pioneer Hi‐Bred International, Inc.)

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Regulation (EU) 2024/1309 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on measures to reduce the cost of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks, amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 and repealing Directive 2014/61/EU (Gigabit Infrastructure Act)
• Minutes of the 4th meeting of the IT subgroup of the DSA Expert group - 13 December 2023
• Commission request information from X on decreasing content moderation resources under the Digital Services Act - Midday Express
• The Commission raises awareness of the risks of disinformation and manipulation of information - Midday Express

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Rule of Law: EU law does not require that professional associations of judges are granted the right to challenge decisions relating to the appointment of prosecutors (See CPR No 84/2024 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-53/23 - Asociaţia "Forumul Judecătorilor din România")
• Transparency: the European Parliament must give access, in the interests of public scrutiny, to information relating to a Member of the European Parliament who has been convicted in a Court of law (See CPR No 82/2024 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-375/22 - Izuzquiza and Others Vs. Parliament)

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Investor heterogeneity and large-scale asset purchases ECB Working Paper Series - No.2938
• Determinants of bank performance: evidence from replicating portfolios - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2937

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Judgment of the General Court of 08 May 2024 in Case T-234/22 - Gulbakhor Ismailova Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures taken in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine - Freezing of funds - List of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources applies - Restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - List of persons, entities and bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources) entities and bodies subject to restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant's name on the lists - Concept of 'association' - Article 2(1), in fine, of Decision 2014/145/CFSP - Article 3(1), in fine, of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 - Jurisdiction of the General Court - Obligation to state reasons - Error of assessment - Rights of the defence - Right to property and freedom to conduct a business - Freedom of movement - Proportionality
• Xi Jinping praises Hungary’s ‘independent’ foreign policy ahead of Orbán meeting - Chinese leader to complete Europe tour with diplomatic outlier that has maintained friendly ties with Russia - Financial Times
• Xi is probing for cracks in the EU and Nato - China’s charm offensive in Europe has threatening undertones and is likely to fail as a result - Financial Times