Europe Daily News, 02 July 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11159 - JD Sports / Groupe Courir)
• Commission clears creation of joint venture by NREP, Novo Holdings, Industriens Pensionsforsikring and DSB Ejendomsudvikling (M.11286) - Midday Express
• France - The Autorité publishes its first informal guidance in the area of sustainability
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt imposes fine against Fritz! brand products manufacturer AVM

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.107695, SA.114029 & SA.113894
• Commission approves €158 million Dutch State aid scheme to support investments in equipment necessary to foster the transition to a net-zero economy (SA.109761) - Midday Express
• Commission approves amendments to German State aid scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs (SA.113265) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €45 million Portuguese State aid scheme to encourage freight traffic to shift from road to rail (SA.107166) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €3 billion Swedish State aid scheme to support the roll-out of biogenic carbon dioxide capture and storage (SA.107009)
• Commission approves €25.51 million restructuring State aid for Bulgarian Posts (SA.109026) 

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Meeting of the 106th meeting of the Customs Policy Group - 03 July 2024
• EU reintroduces tariff quotas on Ukrainian eggs and sugar - See Regulation (EU) 2024/1827 & Regulation (EU) 2024/1825
• WTO - The fourth review of the trade policies and practices of Mozambique takes place on 1 and 3 July 2024
• WTO - Kazakhstan formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - Improving the single market for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Artificial intelligence and algorithm bias in recruitment tools

FINANCE

• Agenda for: Att. & Exp. Financial Services and Banking Union (Payment Services) - 08 July 2024

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

• EU jobs deal unlikely to help UK professionals, warns report - Rival European qualifications mean lawyers and bankers still face barriers to moving - Financial Times

ENERGY

• Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the adoption by the Union of the Agreement on the interpretation and application of the Energy Charter Treaty between the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the adoption by the European Atomic Energy Community of the Agreement on the interpretation and application of the Energy Charter Treaty between the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States
• Council Decision (EU) 2024/1852 of 25 June 2024 on the denial of advantages under Part III of the Energy Charter Treaty by the Union to any legal entity that is owned or controlled by citizens or nationals of the Russian Federation or of the Republic of Belarus and to any investment within the meaning of the Energy Charter Treaty which is an investment of an investor of the Russian Federation or of the Republic of Belarus
• ACER is consulting on revising the Annex of the REMIT Implementing Regulation

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Minutes of 103rd meeting of the Competent Authorities for biocidal products (Regulation (EU) No 528/2012) - 14 & 15 March 2024
• Commission authorises GM maize for use as food and animal feed - Midday Express
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Risk assessment of small organoarsenic species in food
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety evaluation of the food enzyme 3‐phytase from the non‐genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain PHY93‐08
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme glutaminase from the non‐genetically modified Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain AE‐GT
• EFSA - Scientific Report - Annual assessment of Echinococcus multilocularis surveillance reports submitted in 2024 in the context of commission delegated regulation (EU) 2018/772

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Telecommunications & Information Society - 03 July 2024
• Second report on the State of the Digital Decade calls for strengthened collective action to propel the EU's digital transformation
• EVP Vestager in Singapore to discuss cooperation on digital, research, economic security and competitiveness - Midday Express
• BEREC contributes to the EC public consultation on the White Paper
• Agency for Support for BEREC welcomes its new Director – Dr Verena Weber
• EU policies: Telecoms and airlines call for putting competitiveness front and centre to enhance economic security and citizens’ welfare

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• College receives Professor Thygesen for the presentation of the European Fiscal Board's Assessment of the fiscal stance for the euro area in 2025  - Midday Express
• Commission endorses assessment of Slovakia's fourth payment request for €799 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
• Commission approves request for targeted revision of Poland's recovery plan - Midday Express
• Commission approves request for targeted revision of Cyprus recovery plan - Midday Express
• Introductory speech by ECB's Christine Lagarde: "Monetary policy in an unusual cycle: the risks, the path and the costs"
  
• UniCredit questions ECB order to reduce operations in Russia - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 03 July 2024
• Hungary’s Eurosceptic government takes over bloc presidency - Financial Times

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Working Party of Foreign Relations Counsellors (RELEX) - Horizontal Questions - 05 July 2024