Europe Daily News, 20 September 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11708 - Sagitta / RDE Group)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11678 - KBC Bank / BNP Paribas Fortis/ Joyn International)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11160 - Carrier / Viessmann Climate Solution)
• Commission clears acquisition of X2O by Vendis Capital and Waterland (M.11680) - Midday Express
• Finland - The FCCA is to open a further investigation into the acquisition of 21 social services for the elderly units of Humana Finland by Mehiläinen
• UK - The CMA is investigating suspected anti-competitive conduct in relation to the supply of chemical admixtures and additives for use in concrete, cement, mortars and related construction products

STATE AID

• Commission Decision (EU) 2024/2474 of 5 April 2024 on the aid schemes SA.50787 (2021/C) (ex 2018/N) and SA.50837 (2021/C) (ex 2018/N) implemented by Czechia in favour of large enterprises active in primary agricultural production
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections - SA.111922, SA.111510, SA.104889, SA.107929 & SA.114811

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Report & Working Document from the Commission pursuant to Article 278(a) of the UCC, on progress in developing the electronic systems provided for under the Code during 2023
• Annual Review of the Commission of Member States' Annual Activity Reports on Export Credits in the sense of Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011 - see the Annexes
• Report from the Commission on negotiations undertaken by the Commission in the field of export credits, in the sense of Regulation (EU) No 1233/2011
• WTO members discuss work programme on e-commerce post MC13 with a focus on development
• WTO - Plastics Pollution Dialogue discusses capacity building, inventories of plastic measures
• WTO - UAE provides first contribution to EIF Interim Facility to enhance LDC trade capacities
• WTO - WTO members move forward with SPS Agreement Sixth Review

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Public Procurement) - 27 September 2024
• Judgment of the Court of 19 September 2024 in Case C-88/23, Parfümerie Akzente GmbH Vs. KTF Organisation AB,
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Electronic commerce - Information society services - Directive 2000/31/EC - Coordinated field - Article 2(h) - Online promotion and sale of cosmetic products - Exclusion from the coordinated field of labelling obligations applicable to products promoted and sold by an information society service provider - Directive 75/324/EEC - Article 8(2) - Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 - Article 19(5) - Option for the Member State of destination to enforce use of a language of its choice
  
  CHEMICAL

• Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 of 19 September 2024 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and PFHxA-related substances
• Opinion of Advocate General Campos Sanchez-Bordona of 19 September 2024 Case C‑809/23, Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe SAS Vs. Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (ANSES), Compagnie européenne de réalisations antiparasitaires SAS France (CERA), intervening party: Ministre de la transition écologique et de la cohésion des territoires
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Biocidal products - Marketing authorisation - Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 - Request for access to information relating to an authorised product - Directive 2003/4/EC - Determination of the applicable legislation - Confidentiality - Trade secrets - Scope of access to information

AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHERIES

• Agenda for: Working Party on Forest Monitoring - 27 September 2024
• Agenda for: Council meeting ("Agriculture & Fisheries") - 23 September 2024
  - Way Forward in Forest Monitoring - Information from Finland on behalf of Austria, Finland, France, Slovenia and Sweden, supported by Croatia, Czechia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Expert Group for Agricultural Markets
  - Subgroup arable crops and olive oil - 27 September 2024
  - Subgroup olive oil chemists - 02 October 2024
  
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Expert Group for sustainability and quality of agriculture and rural development - 07 October 2024
• Minutes of the Commission Expert Group of the EU Agri-Food Chain Observatory - 17 July 2024
• Coffee producers fear being cut off from EU by new land protection law - Drinks company JDE Peets pleads for year’s delay on ban on supplies from deforested areas over lack of guidelines -Financial Times

ENERGY

• Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/2476 of 13 September 2024 setting out guidelines for the interpretation of Article 29 of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards energy services

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2473 of 19 September 2024 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the registration in the F-gas Portal and repealing Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/661
• EU mobilises assistance for Czechia and Poland flood relief - Midday Express - Statement by President von der Leyen
• MEPs are deeply concerned about the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme EU and global weather events, including large-scale floods, heatwaves, and wildfires - see the Resolution

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission extends authorisation of Mpox vaccine to adolescents - see the EMA Statement
• Epidemiological update, week 37/2024: Mpox due to monkeypox virus clade I 

DIGITAL, DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• EIB boosts high-speed internet in Germany with €350 million InvestEU-backed loan
• EDPS Newsletter No.111
• The ENISA organised the 2024 edition of the ‘Threathunt 2030’ in Athens, the flagship conference on cybersecurity threats foresight - see the Report

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Opinion of Advocate General Ćapeta of 19 September 2024 in Case C‑607/21, XXX Vs. État belge
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Free movement of persons - Directive 2004/38/EC - Circle of beneficiaries - Article 2(2)(d) - Direct ascendant - Concept of ‘dependency’ - Place where dependency must exist - Right of residence of the dependent direct ascendant – Application for residence card in the host Member State several years after relocation from the country of origin - Legality of stay in the host Member State - Evidence of dependency
• Judgment of the Court of 19 September 2024 in Case C‑501/23, DL Vs. Land Berlin
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Judicial cooperation in civil matters - Insolvency proceedings - Regulation (EU) 2015/848 - Article 3 - International jurisdiction - Centre of main interests of an individual exercising an independent business activity -Concept of ‘principal place of business’ - Concept of ‘establishment’ - Chairman of the supervisory board of a public limited company
  

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Commission report shows how social investments and reforms can support competitiveness, economic growth and inclusion
• Interview with Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, conducted by Gonçalo Almeida on 13 September

EU INSTITUTIONS

• Financial Regulation: Council greenlights simpler rules for executing EU budget
• Council adopts the list of candidates proposed for appointment as members of the Commission
• Decision of the Court of Justice of 4 September 2024 on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia
• The political groups and non-attached Members announced which MEPs have been appointed to each Parliament delegation for the 10th term

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Development cooperation and international partnerships - 23 September 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party of Foreign Relations Counsellors (RELEX) - Horizontal Questions - 26 September 2024
• EU at UN General Assembly to boost international cooperation on key global challenges
• Joint statement on the progress of the EU-UK Agreement in respect of Gibraltar
• Venezuela: MEPs recognise Edmundo González as President - see the Resolution
• MEPs have adopted three resolutions on human rights issues in Afghanistan, Belarus and Cuba

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• MEPs: Ukraine must be able to strike legitimate military targets in Russia - see the Resolution
• Europe's defence against Russia - Schuman Paper n°760 by Elina Valtonen - 17 September 2024
• Hard, fast, and where it hurts: Lessons from Ukraine-related sanctions for a Taiwan conflict scenario - see the ECFR Policy Brief