Europe Daily News, 19 January 2024

• Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Apple over practices related to Apple Pay (AT.40452) - IP/24/282
• Commission clears acquisition of sole control of Dedalus by Ardian (M.11377) - Midday Express
  
• Commission clears acquisition of Musti Group by Sonae (M.11368) - Midday Express
• Commission clears Wendel's acquisition of IK Partners (M.11359) - Midday Express
• France - Benoît Cœuré delivers his 2024 New Year’s message
• Spain - The CNMC initiates infringement proceedings against KKR Genesis
• Switzerland - COMCO prohibits the takeover of Quickmail by Swiss Post - see FR, DE & IT version)
• UK - The CMA has published its response to West Yorkshire Combined Authority Bus Reform Consultation
• UK - Court of Appeal unanimously upholds the CMA’s appeal relating to jurisdictional challenges brought by BMW AG and VW AG

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.108359; SA.108744; SA.108775; SA.110012; SA.110472 & SA.110819
• Commission approves €230 million Polish State aid scheme to support corn producers in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.110984) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 23 January 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 23 January 2024
  
• Note verbale - Anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of non-alloy steel bulb flat in the range up to 204 mm width originating inter alia in Türkiye
• Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union (Heading 0206)
• Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union (CN: 2306 90 11 & 2306 90 19)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/339 of 12 January 2024 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 4011 20 10)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/353 of 15 January 2024 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 3824 99 96)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/288 of 18 January 2024 concerning the frequency of checks on wood packaging material carrying, protecting or supporting certain commodities from certain third countries
• Overview of FTAs and other trade negotiations updated on 11 January 2024
• Overview of Economic Partnership Agreements updated on 11 January 2024
  
• CETA TSD Committee Joint Work Plan 2023/2024 - Proposed Themes/Activities
• Report of 6th Meeting of the CETA Bilateral Dialogue on Forest Products - 17 October 2023
• Joint Report - Third EU-Vietnam Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Committee - 28 November 2023
• Second Civil Society Forum of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement - 07 November 2023 - Conclusions
• Joint Minutes - Fourth Meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures under the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement - 31 October 2023
• Cabinet approves MoU between India and the European Commission on working arrangements on Semiconductors Ecosystems under the framework of EU-India Trade & Technology Council
• WTO - Türkiye launches two safeguard investigations: on “knitted or crocheted fabrics” and on “other paper and cardboard”
• DDG Ellard highlights members’ negotiating priorities and WTO reform issues ahead of MC13

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission welcomes agreement on strong EU targets to reduce CO2 emissions from new trucks and urban buses - IP/24/287
• Commissioner Breton in Lithuania and Estonia to discuss the defence industrial strategy - Midday Express

CHEMICAL

• Summary of European Commission Decisions on authorisations for the placing on the market for the use and/or for use of substances listed in Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the REACH (4-(1,1,3,3-Tetra methylbutyl)phenol, ethoxylated (4-tert-OPnEO))

TAXATION

• Judgment of the Court of 18 January 2024 in Case C‑791/22, G.A. Vs. Hauptzollamt Braunschweig
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Common system of VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Article 30, first subparagraph - Article 60 - Article 71(1) - Place of taxable transactions - Goods brought into the customs territory of the EU in a first Member State in breach of customs rules and subsequently transported to a second Member State - Place where import VAT is incurred - National provision referring to EU customs legislation

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Council ('Agriculture & Fisheries') on 23 January 2024
  - The CAP’s role on safeguarding high-quality and primary farm-based food production - Information from the Austrian, French and Italian delegations, supported by the Czech, Cypriot, Greek, Hungarian, Luxembourg, Lithuanian, Maltese, Romanian and Slovak delegations
  - The use of RENURE in anticipation of the evaluation of the Nitrates Directive - Information from the Netherlands delegation, supported by the Danish and Italian delegations
  - Proper implementation of the Area Monitoring System to ensure the objective of simplification and reduction of administrative burden - Information from the Czech delegation, supported by the Bulgarian, Croatian, Cyprus, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Luxembourg, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak and Swedish delegations
  - The need to include in the new Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) Regulation for Ukraine effective solutions to prevent excessive agricultural imports from Ukraine and the negative impact on the agricultural sector of the EU and its Member States, in particular those bordering Ukraine - Information from the Polish delegation 

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: 18th meeting of the Committee on Invasive Alien Species - 26 January 2024
• Minutes of: 99th Meeting of the CITES Scientific Review Group - 12 December 2023
• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on substances that deplete the ozone layer and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 - Outcome of the European Parliament's first reading (Strasbourg, 15 to 18 January 2024)
• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council  on fluorinated greenhouse gases, amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 - Outcome of the European Parliament's first reading (Strasbourg, 15 to 18 January 2024)
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - Proposal COM(2023)0088 on strengthening the CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Minutes - Meeting of the Expert Group on Public Health - 06 December 2023
• SCHEER - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Weight of Evidence (WoE) - 16 January 2024
• Minutes - 31st meeting of the Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment (HSPA) - 30 November 2023
• EU grants access to funding for Montenegro under the EU4Health programme - Midday Express
• Nutritional and health claims, European Parliament recommends rapidly filling gaps for plants and online food sales - see the EP Resolution
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Cigarette filters
• EFSA - Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food
• EFSA - PPP exposure models for 3‐D orchards considering spraying technologies in Southern Europe
• EFSA - Modification of the existing maximum residue levels for flonicamid in various crops and for clopyralid in honey
• EFSA - Exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for extracting and integrating data obtained through New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for chemical risk assessment
• EFSA - Assessment of GM maize DP23211 (application EFSA‐GMO‐NL‐2019‐163) andof GM maize DP915635 (application EFSA‐GMO‐NL‐2020‐172) for food and feed uses, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003
• EFSA - Outsourcing preparatory work based on a systematic literature review for the development of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) relevant for the capacity of proteins to trigger celiac disease

TRANSPORT & MOBLITY

• Minutes of the meeting of the European ITS Committee -15 December 2023
• Judgment of the Court of 18 January 2024 in Case C-227/22; IL Vs. Regionalna direktsia 'Avtomobilna administratsia' Pleven
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Transport - Directive 2006/126/EC - Article 7(1) and (3) - Driving licences - Issue, validity and renewal - Physical and mental fitness to drive - Medical examinations - Frequency - Document attesting to drivers' psychological fitness

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Agenda for: High Level Group on Internet Governance - Multi-stakeholder Open Session - 25 January 2024
• European Media Freedom Act: EU member states’ representatives confirm provisional agreement

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• ECB - Euro area monthly balance of payments: November 2023
• Account of the monetary policy meeting of the Governing Council of the ECB -13 & 14 December 2023 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Israel-Hamas war: MEPs call for a permanent ceasefire under two conditions - see the EP Resolution
• UK faces post-Brexit border disruption at end of January, Labour says - Party warns that new checks on animal and plant products risk delays to imports and increases in inflation - Financial Times