Europe Daily News, 14 October 2024

COMPETITION

• Commission clears acquisition of Meroil Tank by Meroil and Trafigura (M.11704) - Midday Express
• Commission clears joint venture between TAV Havalimanlari Holding A.S. and Fraport AG (M.11730) - Midday Express
• Hungary - Fertiliser cartel: serious cartel confirmed by the court, GVH does not allow Nitrogénművek to evade responsibility
• Poland - The UOKiK obliged Dell to change its practices - Rules for selling IT solutions, computers and other products may have infringed competition

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.106740; SA.114003; SA.115222 & SA.56606
• Commission Decision (EU) 2024/2674 of 26 July 2024 on State aid SA.39235 (2015/C) - Hungary - Taxation of advertisement turnover
• Commission authorises a €150 million aid scheme in Wallonia to support electricity-intensive businesses (SA.113672) - Midday Express
• Commission authorises a French aid scheme worth €959 million to support the rail freight transport sector (SA.64155) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €180 million Lithuanian State aid scheme to support electricity storage to foster the transition to a net-zero economy (SA.115362) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 15 October 2024
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Experts - Services & Investment) - 14 October 2024
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of aluminium radiators originating in the People’s Republic of China following an expiry review pursuant to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2673 of 11 October 2024 imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of glass fibre yarns originating in the People’s Republic of China
• EU-Andean Countries: Council greenlights the conclusion of the trade agreement with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador
• Ex-post evaluation of the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement - Final Report & Executive Summary - September 2024
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Waste batteries
• ‘Isolated’ France faces political storm over EU-South American trade deal - An already weakened Macron risks outrage from farmers as the rest of the EU races to get Mercosur deal done - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

RESEARCH

• Meeting of the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) - Plenary on 24-25 October 2024, Budapest
  - Background Note: Towards a European approach to Technology Infrastructures (item 4)
  - Background Note: Tackling the EU’s innovation paradox (item 5)
  - ERAC Work Programme 2025-2026
  
• Draft Council conclusions on the Commission's communication on advanced materials - Presidency text

CHEMICAL

• Agenda for: Meeting of the REACH Committee - 22 October 2024
• Chemicals: Council adopts regulation on classification, labelling and packaging
• 2nd Commission Conference on the Roadmap to phase out animal testing for chemical safety assessments - Created by GROW.F.1 - Last update: 11 October 2024
• CSR - REACH Authorisation decisions - CT
  - Safran Aircraft Engines - Created by GROW.F.1 - Last update: 10 October 2024
  - Safran - Uses 1-2 - Created by GROW.F.1 - Last update: 09 October 2024

DEFENCE

• Commission Delegated Directive (EU) .../… of 4.10.2024 amending Directive 2009/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the updating of the list of defence-related products in line with the updated Common Military List of the European Union of 19 February 2024 - see the Annex
• Europe searches for scale in race to boost ammunition production - Efforts to supply Ukraine and replenish inventories are hampered by bottlenecks and under-investment, say industry experts - Financial Times

AUTOMOTIVE

• European carmakers plan dozens of cheaper models to survive ‘EV winter’ - Manufacturers must sell more electric cars to meet tough new EU carbon targets - Financial Times

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (High Level) - 24 October 2024

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• European disability card and European parking card for persons with disabilities: Council adopts new directives
• Platform workers: Council adopts new rules to improve their working conditions

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• "Agriculture and Fisheries" on 21-22 October 2024
  - Challenges faced by the EU food chain; Information from the Presidency & Exchange of views
• Agenda for: Expert Group EU Agri-Food Chain Observatory - 15 October 2024
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production (EGTOP) - Subgroup Fertilisers - 23 September 2024

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Energy Council on 15 October 2024
  - European Hydrogen Bank: our call to open EHB future auctions to all low carbon hydrogen, including renewable - Information from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia
  - Any other business Biofuels supply from palm oil derivatives and fraud prevention - Information from Ireland, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands
• Agenda for: Energy Performance of Buildings Committee - 17 October 2024

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Global) - 18 October 2024
• Air quality: Council gives final green light to strengthen standards in the EU
• Answer given by EVP Šefčovič to a MEP written question - EUDR and causal link between Union consumption and global deforestation

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Data Protection - 24 October 2024
• CEF 2025: EDPB selects topic for next year’s Coordinated Action
• Join the stakeholder event on EDPB opinion on ‘AI models’
• G7 Roundtable 2024: Data Protection Authorities collaborate to shape the Future of AI and Privacy

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Main results - Justice & Home Affairs Council (Justice) - 11 October 2024
• Report on the EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life shows Member States have taken action against antisemitism - Midday Express

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission receives Finland's second payment request for €378.1 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Midday Express
• Poland pushes EU to exempt its defence spending from fiscal rules - Finance minister says Brussels should show solidarity instead of pursuing Warsaw under bloc’s excessive deficit procedure - Financial Times
• Spectre of low inflation returns to haunt Eurozone policymakers - Weak growth and reduced price pressures could force European Central Bank to consider prolonged series of rate cuts - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 14 & 16 October 2024

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Statement by the HR/VP Borrell on behalf of the European Union on recent attacks against UNIFIL
• United Kingdom: Press remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell ahead of his meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy
• Israel/Palestine: Statement by the HR/VP Josep Borrell on a draft legislation that could stop UNRWA operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
• Answer by HR/VP Josep Borrell to a MEP written question - Anti-Greek collaboration between Türkiye and Albania
• Answer by HR/VP Josep Borrell to a MEP written question - New Afghan morality law or law of silence, the culmination of a regime of ‘gender apartheid’

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Case T-459/24: Action brought on 3 September 2024 - Trotsenko Vs. Council
  Re: Annulment of Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1738 and of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1746; restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine
• Case T-460/24: Action brought on 3 September 2024 - Gagarina Vs. Council
  Re: Annulment of Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1738 and of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1746; restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine
• Iran: 7 individuals and 7 entities sanctioned in response to Iran’s missile transfer to Russia - see Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2698 & Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2697
• Ukraine/Russia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the death of Ukrainian journalist in Russian captivity
• Czech industry profiting from Russian oil sanctions loophole, research reveals - One company in particular has earned €1.2 billion in extra profits, despite alternatives being available - Politico.eu