Europe Daily News, 21 November 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11539 - Liberty Media / Dorna Sports)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11757 - Vista / Warburg Pincus / Redwood)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11768 - Telia Company / Capman AIFM / Kotkuitu Target Assets)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11747 - Platinum IVY / Cinven / Firebird Policy Expert)
• Commission clears acquisition of TMC by MML and Apheon (M. 11759) - Midday Express
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Orange juice cartel
• France - Parking payment solutions sector in France: the Autorité clears the acquisition by the EasyPark group of the Flowbird group
• The Netherlands - ACM closes investigation into illegal agreements involving IT devices
• Switzerland - COMCO: abuse of relative market power in French-language books (See DE, FR & IT version)
• UK - Tribunal fines drug firms £69m for excessive pricing after CMA investigation
• UK - CMA ‘is rising to the challenge on growth’ says CEO - The CMA should play a critical part in the success of the Government’s growth mission, CEO Sarah Cardell will say today
• US seeks Google divestitures including Chrome sale in search monopoly case - DoJ also targets Android and asks for curbs on use of content to train AI models - Financial Times
• USA - Google should be forced to sell Chrome Browser, Justice Department says - Spinoff would be a major blow to Google following its loss in antitrust trial - Wall Street Journal
• Roadblocks to Competition: Investigate Google’s Non-Compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act

STATE AID

• Commission finds no State aid given by Italy to consortium Cineca (SA.39639) - Midday Express
  
• Commission approves €578 million Romanian State aid scheme to support energy-intensive companies (SA.110166)
• ESA asks Iceland to comply with EEA rules on State aid in the waste-management sector
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question -Consequences of suspension clauses for the survival of Air Austral

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Judgment of the Court of 21 November 2024 in Case C-719/22, Profit Europe NV, Gosselin Forwarding Services NV, interveners: Openbaar Ministerie, Federale Overheidsdienst Financiën
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Common commercial policy - Protection against dumping - Imports of threaded malleable cast iron tube or pipe fittings originating in China - Provisional Regulation (EU) No 1071/2012 - Implementing Regulation (EU) No 430/2013 - Validity - Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009 - Article 5 - Initiation of the investigation procedure - Definition of the product concerned - Threaded cast spheroidal graphite cast iron tube or pipe fittings
• Judgment of the Court of 21 November 2024 in Case C‑297/23 P, Harley-Davidson Europe Ltd, Neovia Logistics Services International NV Vs. European Commission
  Re: Appeal - Common commercial policy - Measures to ensure the exercise by the EU of its rights under international trade rules - Regulation (EU) No 654/2014 - Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/886 - Customs union - Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 - UCC - Decisions relating to binding origin information (BOI) adopted by national customs authorities - Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446 - Determination of the non-preferential origin of certain Harley-Davidson motorcycles - Concept of ‘processing or working operations which are not economically justified’ - Implementing decision of the European Commission on the revocation of BOI decisions - Delegation of power - Legitimate expectations - Right to good administration - Right to be heard
  
• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 22 November 2024
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Services & Investment) - 27 November 2024
• Agenda for: 262nd meeting of the Customs Code Committee Tariff and Statistical Nomenclature Section (Sub - Section Agriculture /Chemistry) - 2nd to 3rd December 2024
• Agenda for: 263rd meeting of the Customs Code Committee Tariff and Statistical Nomenclature Section (Sub - Section Mechanical/Miscellaneous/Textiles) - 9th to 11th December 2024
• Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of fused alumina originating in the People’s Republic of China (CN: 28181011, 28181019, ex 28181091 & 281810 99)
• Draft Recommendation by MEP Dariusz Jonski on the draft Council decision on the accession of the Kingdom of Tonga, of Niue; of Tuvalu to the Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part
• EU Trade "organisational chart" updated on 20 November 2024
• EFTA Council meets for sixth time in 2024

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

CHEMICAL

• ECHA and five European countries issue progress update on PFAS restriction - ECHA/NR/24/31
• Latest ECHA Weekly Newsletter published

FINANCE

• EU continues to be a global leader on sustainable finance (€65 billion of NGEU Green Bonds)
• The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA – ESAs) publish Joint Guidelines on the system for the exchange of information relevant to fit and proper assessments
• Active Account Requirement - ESMA is seeking first input under EMIR 3

ENERGY

• Europe’s Azerbaijan gas gambit is good news for Russia - europe keeps striking deals with Azerbaijan, even at COP29. And while it might not be Russian gas, Moscow is still likely to benefit - Politico.eu

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Judgment of the Court of 21 November 2024 in Case C-370/23, Mesto Rimavská Sobota Vs. Ministerstvo pôdohospodárstva a rozvoja vidieka Slovenskej republiky
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Environment - Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 - Obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market - Article 2(a) to (c) - Concepts of ‘timber and timber products’, ‘placing on the market’ and ‘operator’
• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 28 November 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Biosafety) - 26 November 2024
• EVP Šefčovič signs agreement between Greece, European Investment Bank and the Commission on a Decarbonisation Fund for Greek islands
• Answer given by EVP Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Commission proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste – erroneous corrigendum

DEFORESTATION

• Agenda for: Ad Hoc Working Party on Forest Monitoring - 25 November 2024
• EU deforestation law: Council reconfirms its agreement to extend application timeline
• EU countries reject Parliament’s proposal to gut deforestation rules - The decision is a slap in the face to the center-right EPP, which proposed the changes - Politico.eu

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Open consultation: Derogations from import prohibitions - Calibrachoa and Petunia from Kenya - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 21 November 2024 - 19 December 2024
• Open consultation: Derogations from import prohibitions - Calibrachoa and Petunia from Guatemala - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 21 November 2024 - 19 December 2024

EMA

• Minutes for the meeting of the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) on 08-10 October 2024
• Guidance on good manufacturing practice and good distribution practice: Questions & answers

EFSA

• Plant Health Newsletter on Horizon Scanning - November 2024
• Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance gibberellic acid (GA3)
• Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance gibberellins (GA4/GA7)
• Scientific Opinion - Creatine and improvement in cognitive function: Evaluation of a health claim pursuant to article 13(5) of regulation (EC) No 1924/2006
• Scientific Opinion - Assessment of the feed additive consisting of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei NCIMB 30151 for all animal species for the renewal of its authorisation (Microferm ltd.)

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Safer Internet Forum 2024 fights online harassment and dangerous content- Midday Express
• Fostering global AI safety: EU AI Office participates in inaugural International Network of AI Safety Institutes meeting
• DG CONNECT hosted the ninth meeting of the European Board for Digital Services in Brussels
• First meeting of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes - See the mission statement
• EU and Singapore strengthen cooperation on AI safety
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Doubts about Temu’s economic and financial situation and its failure to comply with the Digital Services Act
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - EU interference in the US election campaign, and risk posed to relations with the US and American companies
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Doubts about Temu’s economic and financial situation and its failure to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA)
• Answer by the Council to a MEP written question - Cyber exercises invoking the mutual defence clause under Article 42(7) TEU

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Judgment of the Court of 21 November 2024 in Case C-336/23, HP - Hrvatska pošta d.d. Vs. Povjerenik za informiranje, intervener STAS d.o.o.
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Approximation of laws - Open data and re-use of public sector information - Directive (EU) 2019/1024 - Article 1 - Scope - Article 2 - Concept of ‘re-use’ of documents - Right of access to documents held by a public sector body’
  
• Agenda for: 23rd meeting of the Committee established under Article 93 of the GDPR - 04 December 2024
• The French SA fines Cosmopace EUR 250,000 and Telemaque EUR 150,000

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Commissioner Reynders in Warsaw to discuss the rule of law - Midday Express
• Eurojust, Europol and authorities from 10 countries stopped a criminal group operating an intricate cigarette trafficking scheme
• Europol - 25 arrests in EU-wide operation against Syrian migrant smuggling network - Violent network made an estimated EUR 3.4 million in criminal profits while causing at least two deaths

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Speech by President von der Leyen at the 30th Anniversary of the Committee of the Regions
• Far right gains traction in EU assembly - Patriots and ultraconservatives push centre-right EPP away from its allies - Financial Times

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Speech ECB's Piero Cipollone: Building a solid cyber defence for the new geopolitical season
• Economic Dialogue with the President of the EcoFin - In-Depth Analysis for the ECON Committee -18 November 2024
• The new economic governance framework: implications for monetary policy - In-Depth Analysis for the EP ECON Committee

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• 1000 days: Statement on Ukraine by European Parliament’s leaders
• Zelenskyy to MEPs: “We must end this war fairly and justly”
• Oman: Second EU-Oman Human Rights Dialogue held in Brussels
• Speech by HR/VP Josep Borrell: Middle East: The voice of reason must prevail on the voice of hate
• Albania: New Security and Defence Partnership with the EU to strengthen capabilities and cooperation
• North Macedonia: Press statement by HR/VP Josep Borrell following the signature of the Security and Defence Partnership Agreement
• Answer given by HR/VP Josep Borrell to a MEP written question - Türkiye’s provocative bid to join the BRICS countries and inclusion of the ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine in the school curriculum