Europe Daily News, 07 February 2025

COMPETITION

• ABC Technologies has filed its acquisition of TI Fluid Systems acquisition under the EU foreign-subsidy regulation - See Case FS.100182 (Deadline on 12 March)
• Belgium - The Competition Authority launches a general inquiry into sectoral price revision and indexation mechanisms
• Ireland - CCPC requires binding commitments from Phoenix to acquire Cellnex
• Lithuania - Skincare products maker Oda LT and five of its dealers were correctly fined by the Competition authority for agreeing not to undercut prices set by the manufacturer nor apply any consumer discounts, a regional administrative court has ruled
• The Netherlands - ACM: KPN may acquire Open Tower Company subject to conditions
• Romania - 2024 was marked by significant economic and political challenges, leading to an intense and increasingly complex activity for the Competition Council

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.116929
• Commission invites comments on draft amendments to State aid rules with respect to access to justice in environmental matters

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputy Members) - 13 February 2025
• Agenda for: 23rd meeting of the Customs Project Group on the Digitalisation of Cultural Goods - 30 & 31 January 2025
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP  written question - Combating fraudulent practices by online platforms selling toys or clothing
• Answer given by EVP Séjourné to a MEP written question - Violations of EU law in the import and trade of used goods vehicles in Greece
• Answer given by EVP Séjourné to a MEP written question - Exporting ferrous scrap and the ensuing impact on the competitiveness of the EU steel industry
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - EU measures on customs controls and duties for online purchases of low-cost and low-quality products from China
• WTO issues panel report regarding US duties on fish fillets from Viet Nam - DS536
• Poland counters Trump’s EU trade ‘atrocity’ quip: US runs ‘huge’ surplus in services - EU officials still hope to avert a trade war with the United States - Politico.eu
• US farmers ‘prepare for the worst’ in new Trump trade war - President’s latest tariff threats have sparked alarm in Republican breadbasket states such as Iowa - Financial Times
• Brussels to exempt most EU companies from carbon border tax - More than 80% to be exempted by reforms aimed at cutting red tape and boosting productivity - Financial Times
• Maersk chief expects no ‘massive impact’ from tariffs and forecasts trade growth - Vincent Clerc makes prediction as shipping group reports rise in operating profit to $6.5bn for 2024 - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Technical Harmonisation (Measuring Instruments) - 14 February 2025
• Eurofer - Downside factors persist, no relief in sight for the steel market outlook in the short to medium term - See the Full Report - Q1/2025
• Eurofer contribution: Platform on Sustainable Finance Draft Report on Activities and Technical Screening Criteria to be Updated or Included in the EU Taxonomy
• CLEPA publishes recommendations for an effective ESG framework - see the Full Paper
• Answer given by EVP Séjourné to a MEP written question - Situation of the European ceramics industry

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• Opinion of Advocate General Andrea Biondi 6 February 2025 Case C-17/24, CeramTec GmbH Vs. Coorstek Bioceramics LLC
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Trade mark of the European Union - Bad faith on the part of the applicant - Absolute grounds for refusal of registration - Sign consisting exclusively of the functional shape of the product - No link between the technical solution and the registered trade marks

FINANCE

• Public consultation: EU securities markets – procedural rules for the exercise of power by ESMA regarding consolidated tape providers - Delegated regulation - Feedback period: 06 February 2025 - 06 March 2025
• Opening Remarks by Verena Ross at the ESMA Conference 2025, 5 February 2025
• Opening Statement by Klaus Löber at the ECON scrutiny hearing session - 03 February 2025
• EBA - Peer review on tax integrity and dividend arbitrage schemes - EBA/REP/2025/05 - February 2025
• EBA - Opinion on EC changes on RTS on conflicts of interests for issuers of asset-referenced tokens under MiCAR
• Reviewed supervisors overall applied the EBA’s recommendations on tax integrity and dividend arbitrage trading schemes, the EBA Report finds

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (Direct Taxation) - 17 February 2025
• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (Direct Taxation) - 20 February 2025
• Draft Opinion by MEP Borys Budka on the proposal for a Council directive restructuring the Union framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity
• Public consultation: Administrative cooperation on taxation – adoption of standard forms and computerised formats - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 04 February 2025 - 04 March 2025

ENERGY

• Report by MEP Borys Budka on the 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
• Keynote speech by Commissioner Jørgensen at Financial Times-Iberdrola International Energy Policy Forum 2025
• Eurostat: Share of renewables in transport rose in 2023 - In 2023, the share of renewable energy sources in transport reached 10.8% at EU level
• Baltic states sever last power links to Russia - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania switch to EU network after 80 years with former Soviet ruler - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Minutes of the 4th Meeting of the Expert Group Forest and Forestry Stakeholder Platform - 29 November 2024
• Public consultation: GreenData4All – updated rules on geospatial environmental data and access to environmental information - Proposal for a directive - Feedback period: 05 February 2025 - 30 April 2025
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - Commission’s vision and action on e-fuels
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - Adapting the automotive sector to emissions targets
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - Protecting the competitiveness of the European cement industry
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - EU must act as United States signals retreat from green investments

DIGITAL, DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: 1st Meeting of the Expert Group on Cybersecurity of Products with Digital Elements - 12 February 2025
• Draft Council Conclusions on "Towards the EU strategy on AI in science" - Presidency text
• The Commission publishes guidelines on AI system definition to facilitate the first AI Act’s rules application
• ENISA Single Programming Document 2025-2027 - Including multiannual planning, work programme 2024 and multiannual staff planning

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Judgment of the Court of 06 February 2025 in Case C‑677/22, Przedsiębiorstwo Produkcyjno – Handlowo – Usługowe A. Vs. P. S.A.
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Combating late payment in commercial transactions - Directive 2011/7/EU - Commercial transactions between undertakings - Article 3(5) - Obligation on Member States to ensure that the period for payment set in the contract concluded between undertakings does not exceed 60 calendar days - Possibility, for contracting parties, to set a longer period for payment - Condition for the express agreement in the contract of such a period - Condition that a contractual term is not grossly unfair to the creditor - Cumulative conditions - Contracts in which the terms are determined unilaterally by one of the parties - Contractual term by which the debtor unilaterally sets the period for payment of 120 days - Unlawfulness
• Opinion of Advocate General Medina of 06 February 2025 in Case C‑610/23 [Al Nasiria], FO Vs. Ypourgos Metanastefsis kai Asylou
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Asylum policy - International protection -Directive 2013/32 - Common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection - Article 46 - Right to an effective remedy - Full and ex nunc examination of the appeal - Decision to dismiss the appeal without examining the merits - Failure of the applicant to appear in person during the examination of his appeal before the responsible body

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Speech by ECB's Philip R. Lane: "A middle path for ECB monetary policy"
• Interview with ECB's Piero Cipollone, conducted by Balazs Koranyi and Francesco Canepa
• Guideline ECB/2025/3 on statistical information to be reported on household wealth, income and consumption
• Non-homothetic housing demand and geographic worker sorting - ECB Working Paper Series No.3018
• Banking networks and economic growth: from idiosyncratic shocks to aggregate fluctuations - ECB Working Paper Series No.3019
• Trump amplifies the transatlantic economic divergence - Emerging policy differences will force looser monetary policy in Europe than in the US - Financial Times