Europe Daily News, 08 October 2024

COMPETITION

• Withdrawal of notification of a concentration (Case M.11754 - AGL / TTC / Samudera / JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11637 - Sonoco / Eviosys)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11726 - Clearlake / MV Credit)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11735 - CVC / Fidelio / Odevo)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11745 - Die Schweizerische Post / Fenaco / Powerup JV)
• Commission clears acquisition of Joyn by KBC Bank and BNP Paribas Fortis (M.11678) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Planet Koper by ALFI RE and ERSTE (M.11687) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of RdE Group by Sagitta (M.11708) - Midday Express
• Czech Republic - The UOHS has conducted unannounced local inspections of several competitors operating in the energy sector
• Slovak Republic- Council of AMO upheld 21 million euro fine for a failure to notify a merger and its premature implementation

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.115028, SA.54478 & SA.115165
• Commission approves €112 million Polish State aid scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support rail network interoperability (SA.114259) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Notice of initiation of an expiry review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of mixtures of urea and ammonium nitrate originating in Russia, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2617 of 1 October 2024 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 8528 72 10)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2621 of 1 October 2024 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 8424 89 70)
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in meetings of the Participants to the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits regarding down payment and maximum official support requirements - see the Annex
• CETA- Agenda for: 7th Meeting of the CETA Bilateral dialogue on Forest products - 08 October 2024
• CETA - Agenda for: 3rd Meeting of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) Committee - 10 October 2024
• Minute of the 10th Subcommittee on Government Procurement of the Trade agreement between Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the European Union - 11 October 2023
• Minutes of the Trade Agreement between Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the European Union - Sub-Committee on Intellectual Property - 12 & 13 October 2023
• Minute of the 10th Subcommittee on Market Access of the Trade agreement between Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the European Union - 10 October 2023
• Agreed minutes of the fourth meeting of the Committee on Trade in Goods under the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement - 19 July 2024
• Joint Minutes of the 2nd meeting of the Trade Committee EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement - 25 July 2024
• Report of the 9th Round of Negotiations on a FTA between the EU-India - 09 September 2024
• Labour cooperation between Peru and the EU under the trade agreement
• Next round of India-EU FTA talks in 2025 - The Economic Times
• WTO - DG Okonjo-Iweala on World Cotton Day: Efforts yielding results, maintain momentum
• spiritsEUROPE underlines urgency for a negotiated solution to prevent the imposition of anti-dumping duties on EU brandy
• Statement from Ambassador Katherine Tai on European Union anti-subsidy duties on battery electric vehicle imports from the People’s Republic of China
• China hits EU brandy imports with anti-dumping penalties - Trade retaliation comes after bloc voted to approve steep tariff increases on Chinese electric cars - Financial Times & Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2599 of 4 October 2024 amending Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/941 as regards the harmonised standards for personal fall protection equipment, powered filtering respiratory protective devices, footwear, electrically insulating helmets and eye and face protection for occupational use drafted in support of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Report shows Commission support for Member States to implement reforms and to strengthen EU competitiveness with 151 Technical Support Instrument projects in 2023 - Midday Express
• France: Biopharma Fabentech gets a €20 million EIB loan to advance preparedness against pandemics and biological threats

FINANCE

• Council Decision (EU) 2024/2604 of 25 June 2024 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of:
  - the Agreement between the European Union, Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Kingdom of Norway on an EEA Financial Mechanism for the period May 2021-April 2028
  - the Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway
  - the Additional Protocol to the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland
  - the Agreement between the Kingdom of Norway and the European Union on a Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period May 2021-April 2028
• The Council has given its final approval to the listing act, aimed at making EU public markets more attractive and easing listings for businesses of all sizes, including SMEs
• SME financing: Council adopts the multiple-vote share structures directive
• EU finance ministers welcome proposals for new EIB Group initiatives to deepen Europe's capital markets, channel savings into productive investments and boost competitiveness

TAXATION

• Taxation: Member States update EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions - Antigua and Barbuda have been removed from the EU list - Midday Express

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Short-term outlook of agricultural markets: gradual but fragile return to stability

ENERGY

• Ukraine recognises Slovakia’s ‘acute dependence’ on Russian gas flows - PM Denys Shmyhal tells counterpart Robert Fico that Kyiv will meet obligations without renewing Gazprom transit deal - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on Forest Monitoring - 18 October 2024
• Climate finance: Council approves conclusions ahead of COP29
• A new group of 20 cities receive the EU mission label for their efforts to achieve climate neutrality - Midday Express 

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Recovery and resilience fund: Council greenlights Lithuania’s and Portugal’s amended plans
• Remarks of Commissioner Gentiloni at the ECOFIN press conference
• Main results of the Eurogroup - 07 October 2024 - see Remarks by Paschal Donohoe and by Commissioner Gentiloni
• Monetary and fiscal policy interactions: risks to price stability in times of high government debt - ECB Discussion Paper Series No.26
• Interview with Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, conducted by Miha Jenko

INSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

• Mr Koen Lenaerts is re-elected as President of the Court of Justice of the European Union
• Partial renewal of the Court of Justice and entry into office of new Members of the General Court

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Revised Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.2) - 09 & 11 October 2024

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• The Council extended restrictive measures in view of the situation in Sudan for a further year, until 10 October 2025
• The Council extended restrictive measures against ISIL/Da'esh and Al-Qaeda for a further year, until 31 October 2025
• Israel/Gaza: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the EP plenary one year since Hamas terrorist attacks
• Israel: Statement by the High Representative one year after the 7th October terrorist attacks

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Russia: New sanctions framework against those responsible for destabilising activities against the EU and its member states
• Hybrid threats/Russia: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Russia’s continued hybrid activity against the EU and its Member States
• Answer given by Ms Johansson to a MEP written question - Easing of visa requirements for Russians and Belarusians by the Hungarian Government