Europe Daily News, 31 October 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11759 - MML / Apheon / TMC)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11685 - Piag / Mmbet / RBH / Rosenbauer)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11755 - Enbridge / MPLX / ISQ / DBR)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11468 - IBM / Certain Software AG Products)
• Commission to assess the proposed acquisition of Run:ai by NVIDIA - Midday Express
• Commission clears creation of joint venture SIPL by RIL, TWDC and BTS1 (M.11650) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Policy Expert by Platinum Ivy and Cinven SFF GP (M.11747) - Midday Express
• Commission fines Teva €462.6 million over misuse of the patent system and disparagement to delay rival multiple sclerosis medicine (AT.40588) - see the Statement by EVP Margrethe Vestager
• Belgium - The Competition Authority approves the acquisition of joint control of Jeco Energies by NPM Capital
• The Netherlands - ACM: further investigation needed into acquisition of Delta’s fiber-optic networks by KPN’s joint venture

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU -  Cases where the Commission raises no objections - SA.113779
• Commission finds Française des Jeux (‘FDJ')'s exclusive rights contain no state aid after amendments (SA.56399 & SA.56634)

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Meeting of the ACP Working Party - 05 November 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 05 November 2024
• Agenda for: 660th meeting of the Export Credits Group - 13 November 2024
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Trade & Sustainable Development - 22 May 2024
• Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2278 suspending the Common Customs Tariff duties referred to in Article 56(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain agricultural and industrial products
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Association Council set up by the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, of the other part, as regards the amendment of that Agreement by replacing Protocol 6 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee set up by the Agreement between the European Coal and Steel Community and the Republic of Turkey on trade in products covered by the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community as regards the amendment of that Agreement by replacing Protocol 1 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Association Council set up by the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Lebanon, of the other part, as regards the amendment of that Agreement by replacing Protocol 4 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee set up by the EEA Agreement, as regards the amendment of Protocol 4 thereto, on rules of origin
• Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of "choline chloride" originating in the People’s Republic of China (CN codes ex 2923 10 00, ex 2309 90 31, ex 2309 90 96, ex 2106 and 3824 99 96)
• Notice concerning the date of entry into force of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part and the Protocol of Accession to the Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Ecuador
• Council Decision (EU) 2024/2728 of 14 October 2024 on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Protocol of Accession to the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Ecuador
• Council Decision (EU) 2024/2751 of 14 October 2024 on the conclusion of the Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2522 of 23 September 2024 amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (CN Code 2025)
• Call for evidence: EU-Moldova trade – further reciprocal tariff liberalisation under Article 147 of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement - Proposal for a decision - Feedback period: 30 October 2024 - 27 November 2024
• Public Consultation - Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) – establishment of CBAM Registry - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 31 October 2024 - 28 November 2024
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) - Questions & Answers - Last updated on 24 October 2024

TAXATION

• VAT in the Digital Age package - Political agreement and Statements from the Council and the Commission
  • Draft Council Directive amending Directive 2006/112/EC as regards VAT rules for the digital age - General approach
  • Draft Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 as regards the VAT administrative cooperation arrangements needed for the digital age - Political agreement
  • Draft Council Implementing Regulation amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 282/2011 as regards information requirements for certain VAT schemes - Political agreement

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Minutes of the Commission Expert Group for Meat Market Observatory - 23 October 2024
• Minutes of the Commission Expert Group for Agricultural Markets - subgroup Wine - 14 October 2024
• Working Documents for the Commission Expert Group for Agricultural Markets - subgroup Arable Crops & Olive Oil - 31 October 2024
• Information Note from the Commission - Revision of the Administrative Agreement between the DG AGRI and the EUIPO as regards their cooperation on agricultural geographical indications
• The European Commission appoints Ulferdus Gijsbertus Schilthuis and Elisabetta Siracusa as new Directors at the Directorate-General for Agriculture & Rural Development - Midday Express
• Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2025 in the Atlantic, Kattegat and Skagerrak - see the Proposal

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 06 November 2024
  
• EU gas storages 95% full ahead of 1 November, surpassing the 90% target in the Gas Storage Regulation - Midday Express
• Public Consultation - Ecodesign requirements for standby and off mode power consumption, and household tumble dryers (technical update) - Regulation - Feedback period: 31 October 2024 - 28 November 2024
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Energy costs of businesses in Europe
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - Facilitating the financing of nuclear power in the EU
• Energy Community - Secretariat welcomes the increased electricity export capacity from Continental Europe to Ukraine and Moldova

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 06 November 2024
• EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by over 8% in 2023, driven by impressive growth in renewable energy - see the Report & Working Document
• Answer given by EVP Šefčovič to MEP written question - EU targets for reducing material and consumption footprints
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to MEP written question - European manufacturers fined for insufficient electric vehicle sales

FORESTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Forestry - 08 November 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on Genetic Resources and Innovation in Agriculture (Seeds, Propagating & Planting Materials) - 20 November 2024
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) …/... amending Annexes I and III to Council Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 following a Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the Republic of Ghana for a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing scheme for imports of timber into the European Union
• Answer given by EVP Šefčovič to MEP written question - Disinformation on shared vs exclusive competences

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Commission opens formal proceedings against Temu under the Digital Services Act - Financial Times
• Chairperson's Summary Report - 87th Radio Spectrum Committee meeting - 09 October 2024

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues - 04 November 2024
• Commissioner Reynders participates in the 46th Global Privacy Assembly Annual Meeting in Jersey - Midday Express

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Commission disburses the fourth payment of €799 million to Slovakia under the Recovery and Resilience Facility- Midday Express
• The performance of Eurosystem/ECB staff projections for economic growth since the COVID-19 pandemic - ECB Economic Bulletin Issue 7, 2024
• Decoding revisions in policy rate expectations: insights from the Survey of Monetary Analysts - ECB Economic Bulletin Issue 7, 2024
• The link between oil prices and the US dollar: evidence and economic implications - ECB Economic Bulletin Issue 7, 2024
• Interview with Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, with Le Monde on 28 October 2024
• ECB - Euro area bank interest rate statistics: September 2024

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agenda from 11 to 26 November 2024

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell to travel to Japan and the Republic of Korea - Midday Express
• Commission releases 1.5 million euros in response to tropical cyclone Trami in the Philippines - Midday Express
• EU foreign policy chief warns French energy giant on human rights violations - Josep Borrell said legislation going into effect in 2027 would require compensation to victims of abuses, after POLITICO revealed links between TotalEnergies and a massacre in Mozambique - Politico.eu
• Commission mulls transferring Russian assets to fortify €45B Ukraine loan - The move would protect Belgium-based Euroclear from retaliatory seizure by Moscow - Politico.eu
• EU should spend 20% of budget on security and climate disasters, report says - Finland’s former president reports on cost of Europe’s preparedness for multiple crises - Financial Times

ENLARGEMENT

• Commission adopts 2024 Enlargement Package
  - Remarks by HR/VP Borrell and Commissioner Várhelyi at the press conference on the 2024 Enlargement Package
  - 2024 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy & Annexes
  - Factsheet on the EU accession process