Europe Daily News, 30 July 2024

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11601 - Kiwa / Adesso / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11619 - LGP / Francisco Partners / Redsail)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11548 - Blackstone / Winthrop Technologies)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11618 - Infranity / Eurazeo / Etix Everywhere Holding)
• Commission clears acquisition of Aenova by Kühne Holding (M.11571) - Midday Express
• Belgium - The Competition Authority (BCA) has published its 2023 Annual Report
• UK - The CMA has published its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) for 2023/24

STATE AID

• State Aid - Germany - State aid SA.55744 (2024/C) (ex 2019/FC) - Alleged aid to WestVerkehr - Invitation to submit comments pursuant to Article 108(2) of the TFEU

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Stabilisation and Association Council established by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Albania, of the other part, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 4 to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Stabilisation and Association Council established by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, of the other part, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 2 to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement between European Economic Community and the Swiss Confederation, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the European Economic Area, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 4 on rules of origin to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Stabilisation and Association Council established by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, of the other part, as regards the amendment of Protocol 2 to that Agreement concerning the definition of the concept of 'originating products' and methods of administrative cooperation concerning the permeability between the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin and the Transitional rules of origin
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, of the other part, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Government of the Faroe Islands, of the other part, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that Agreement
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland, establishing the general requirements on proofs of origin issued electronically according to Article 17(4) of Appendix A to Protocol 3 to that
• Corrigendum to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1866 of 3 July 2024 imposing a provisional countervailing duty on imports of new battery electric vehicles designed for the transport of persons originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Council Decision (EU) 2024/1758 of 4 December 2023 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of the Advanced Framework Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Chile, of the other part
• Advanced Framework Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Chile, of the other part
• Decision No 2. of the joint Committee of 5 June 2024 on the amendment to Annex II to the Agreement between the European Union and Iceland on the protection of geographical indication for
• agricultural products and foodstuffs
• Request to the European Commission to Maintain the Anti-Subsidy Measures on Polyethylene Terephthalate Originating in India - See the Executive Summary
• The External Side of Europe’s Great Economic Transformation: International Trade in Services - see ECIPE Policy Brief

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• European Court of Auditors' special report No 11/2024: The EU’s industrial policy on renewable hydrogen: legal framework has been mostly adopted – time for a reality check
• The Commission unveils a new tool to help SMEs self-assess their digital maturity - Midday Express
• Eurofer - Negative trends in steel market continue to deepen, weakening recovery in 2024 and 2025

ENERGY

• Public consultation - Fusion for Energy joint undertaking – interim evaluation - Report - Feedback period: 29 July 2024 - 26 August 2024
• ACER’s monitoring shows broad implementation of the electricity imbalance settlement harmonisation methodology across the EU
• ACER : Compensation surged for grid operators covering losses from cross-border transit flows in 2022

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Towards a mercury-free environment: Revised Mercury Regulation enters into force
• Directive on repair of goods - Promoting repair contributes to sustainable consumption - see the QaA

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Banning halal meat in the EU
• EFSA - Strategy for developing data standards in support of automation of Systematic Reviews
• EFSA - Safety of Acheta domesticus powder as a Novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283
• EFSA - Update of the MCRA platform: enhancing data connectivity, security, interoperability, and accessibility
• EFSA - EFSA Project on the use of NAMs to explore interspecies metabolic differences on essential oils as feed additives
• EFSA - Safety of a feed additive consisting of indigo carmine for cats, dogs and ornamental fish (Sensient Colors Europe GmbH)
• EFSA - Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment for the active substance difenoconazole in light of confirmatory data submitted
• EFSA - Safety assessment of the process Guolong, based on the EREMA Basic technology, used to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials
• EFSA - Outcome of the consultation with Member States, the applicant and EFSA on the pesticide risk assessment for etoxazole in light of confirmatory information
• EFSA - Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of an essential oil obtained from the fruit of Apium graveolens L. (celery seed oil) for all animal species (FEFANA asbl)
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DSM 34271 as a silage additive for all animal species (Lactosan GmbH & Co.KG)
• ECDC - Risk to EU/EEA from variant mpox virus ‘very low’

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Commission launches consultation on the Code of Practice for general-purpose Artificial Intelligence - Midday Express

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Report from Multistakeholder Expert group on GDPR application - June 2024
• Answer given by Mr Reynders to a MEP written question - Voter data leak and blatant breach of GDPR
  
• Answer given by Ms Johansson to a MEP written question - Transparency of High-Level Expert Group on access to data for effective law enforcement
• Industry coalition calls for the reaffirmation of the GDPR’s risk-based approach - See the Statement

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Passing on the hot potato: the use of ETFs by open-ended funds to manage redemption requests - ECB Working Paper Series No.2963
• Marrying fiscal rules & investment: a central fiscal capacity for Europe - ECB Working Paper Series No.2962
• Introducing the Distributional Wealth Accounts for euro area households - Economic Bulletin Issue 5, 2024
• Reallocation, productivity, and monetary policy in an energy crisis - ECB Working Paper Series No.2961
• Beyond borders: how geopolitics is reshaping trade - ECB Working Paper Series No.2960
• Future-proofing the EU’s Investment Attractiveness: A Bold Reform Agenda for Competition Enforcement, Taxation and Digital Policy - See ECIPE Occasional Paper

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• EU provides €2.4 million in response to floods in Bangladesh, India and the Philippines - Midday Express
• The EU and UNODC call for renewed efforts to end child trafficking - see also the awareness campaign  - Midday Express
• Hungary opens door to Russian spies, warns largest EU party - Budapest loosening restrictions for visitors from Russia is a ‘national security’ risk, says European People’s party - Financial Times