Europe Daily News, 17 July 2024

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11500 - Renault / Plug Power / Hyvia)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11566 - Five Arrows / Cheetah / Solvares)
• Commission clears acquisition of Nuvei by WPF and Advent (M.11582) - Midday Express
• Commission has published its recent decision to approve Cisco's purchase of cybersecurity software provider Splunk - See Case M.11320
• Ireland - The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has published its 2023 Annual Report
• Spain - The CNMC dismantles three cartels that divided up the supply of food to hospitals, retirement homes, prisons and army facilities
• UK - Microsoft’s hiring of "Inflection AI staff" probed by UK regulator - CMA had invited comments over tie-up as part of broader concerns about dealmaking in AI industry - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107nd 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.114441 & SA.109768

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Trade Questions - 23 July 2024
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of erythritol originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the EPA Committee established under the interim agreement with a view to an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Central Africa Party, of the other part, as regards the adoption of the Protocol concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation - See the Annex
  
• Notice to importers – Regional cumulation between Indonesia and Sri Lanka, in accordance with Article 55(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446, as regards the rules of origin used for the purposes of the scheme of generalised tariff preferences pursuant to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446
• Joint Report of 11th meeting of the EU-South Korea Working Group on Geographical Indications - 02 July 2024
• EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Guidance on "rules of origin"
• UK says it is not about to impose tough tariffs on Chinese EV imports - Trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds will remain ‘vigilant’ but is not planning to follow Brussels’ lead - Financial Times
• EU’s use of incorrect deforestation data ‘risks blocking imports’ - Australia and Brazil dispute forest maps and urge Brussels to delay rules that could ban goods entering bloc - Financial Times

FINANCE

ESAs establish framework to strengthen coordination in case of systemic cyber incidents

• Strict EU sustainable finance rules deter emerging market investment, banks say - Development finance chief says Middle Eastern and Chinese groups are filling the gap - Financial Times

ENERGY

• EU hydrogen targets are ‘unrealistic’, says audit body - Bloc unlikely to meet ‘overly ambitious’ goals for clean fuel despite €18.8bn in funding - Financial Times

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

• Main Results of: "Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs" Council (Social, Employment) - 16 July 2024

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• The Commission did not give the public sufficiently wide access to the purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines (See CPR No.113/24; Judgments of the General Court in Cases T-689/21; Auken and Others Vs. Commission and T-761/21 and Courtois and Others Vs. Commission) - Politico.eu
• Statement by the Commission on the General Court's judgments on the access to documents cases concerning the purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines*
• Regulation (EU) 2024/1938 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin intended for human application and repealing Directives 2002/98/EC and 2004/23/EC
• EMA - Minutes for the Paediatric Committee (PDCO) meeting on 28-31 May 2024

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• EU to invest record €7 billion into sustainable, safe and smart transport infrastructure

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Digital Markets Act: The General Court dismisses the action brought by Bytedance (TikTok) against the decision of the Commission designating it as a gatekeeper (See CPR No.114/24, Judgment of the General Court in Case T-1077/23, Bytedance Vs. Commission)
• Minutes of the 86th meeting of the Radio Spectrum Committee - 03 July 2024 (see the Working Documents)

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Main Results of: "Economic & Financial Affairs" Council - 16 July 2024
  - Macroeconomic imbalance procedure: Council approves conclusions
  - European Semester 2024: country- specific recommendations agreed
• Remarks by Commissioner Gentiloni at the ECOFIN and Eurogroup press conference
• ECB - Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 12 July 2024
• ECB - July 2024 euro area bank lending survey

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Judgments of the General Court of 17 July 2024 in Case T-206/22; Sara Makhlouf; Case T-208/22; Kinda Makhlouf and Case T-209/22; Shahla Makhlouf Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures taken as a result of the situation in Syria - Freezing of funds and economic resources - Restriction on admission to the territory of the Member States - List of persons, entities and bodies to which the measures apply) of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources applies or who are subject to restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant's name on the list - Heir of a person already subject to restrictive measures - Rights of the defence - Error of assessment - Proportionality - Right to property - Non-contractual liability’
• Judgment of the General Court of 17 July 2024 in Case T-207/22; Ghada Mhana Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures taken as a result of the situation in Syria - Freezing of funds and economic resources - Restriction on admission to the territory of the Member States - List of persons, entities and bodies to which the measures apply) of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources applies or who are subject to restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant's name on the list - Heir of a person already subject to restrictive measures - Rights of the defence - Error of assessment - Proportionality - Right to property - Non-contractual liability’
  
• Day of International Criminal Justice: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union
• Ukraine: Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the European Union, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17

EU / UK RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 19 July 2024
• UK and EU consider first summit to improve post-Brexit relationship - Keir Starmer wants to establish defence pact and ease trade tensions in areas such as agricultural goods - Financial Times

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• FAQs on Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts related matters concerning sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine