Europe Daily News, 28 April 2025

COMPETITION

• Appeal brought on 28 November 2024 by Qualcomm, Inc. against the judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 in Case T-671/19, Qualcomm Vs. Commission (Case C-819/24 P)
  Re: annulment of Commission Decision C(2019) 5361 final relating to a proceeding under Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the Agreement on EEA in Case AT.39711 - Qualcomm (predation)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11980 - PSPIB / CPPIB / Cintra / 407)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11979 - New Mountain / Francisco Partners / Office Ally)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11965 - BCI / Brookfield / GCM Grosvenor / Shepherds Flat Wind)
• Commission clears acquisition of AXA IM by BNPP (M.11828) - Midday Express
• Commission clears merger between Amcor and Berry (M.11889) - Midday Express
• Commission clears creation of joint venture by Metinvest and Danieli (M.11817) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Green Epic Topco by LGP and Apax Partners (M.11947) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Triump Group by Warburg Pincus and Berkshire Partners (M.11937) - Midday Express
• European Commission accepts ACM’s request regarding the acquisition of Downtown by Universal Music Group
• IMPALA welcomes European Commission’s scrutiny of acquisition of Downtown by Universal Music Group
• Amcor and Berry receive European Commission antitrust approval for combination
• Belgium - The Competition Authority approves the acquisition of ITC Rubis Terminal Antwerp by Mitsui Europe
• Romania - Study on Multimodal freight transport in Romania - High potential , low utilization
• Romania - The Competition Council approved the transaction through which Altex Romania S.R.L. intends to take over Bricostore Romania S.A

STATE AID

• Action brought on 13 March 2025 - Wireless Connect Vs. Commission (Case T-179/25)
  Re: Annulment of the Commission’s decision SA. 55743 (2019/FC) ‘Ireland - Alleged infringement of State aid rules in relation to the National Broadband Plan Ireland’, (the Contested Decision)
• Commission approves €321.2 million German restructuring aid to Condor, taking into account judgment of the General Court (SA.63203)

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Revised Agenda for: Meeting of the Trade Policy Committee (Full Members) - 30 April 2025
• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Austria) of 21 February 2025 - Zollamt Österreich Vs. G GmbH (Case T-150/25, G)
  Re: Articles 33, 34, 44 and 45 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 (Union Customs Code)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... of XXX amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447 laying down detailed rules for implementing certain provisions of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... of XXX concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature
• Explanatory notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union
  - "3907 61 00 and 3907 69 00" - Poly(ethylene terephthalate)
  - "1902 20 10 to 1902 20 99" - Stuffed pasta, whether or not cooked or otherwise prepared
  - "9405 50 00" - Non-electrical lamps and lighting fittings
  - "9505 90 00" - Other
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Trade Committee established by the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and New Zealand, as regards amendments to that Agreement concerning fundamental principles and rights at work
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Committee on Investment Facilitation established by the Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Angola as regards the adoption of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Investment Facilitation - see the Annex
• Commission notice concerning the application of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin or the protocols on rules of origin providing for diagonal cumulation between the Contracting Parties to this Convention
• Notice to economic operators – New round of requests for the suspension of the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain industrial and agricultural products
• Reeves says Britain’s trade ties with EU ‘even more important’ than US - Chancellor’s comments come as UK balances trade talks with both regions - Financial Times
• Trade war hits foreign companies in China with double tariffs - Many manufacturers are exposed to paying duties on imports as well as exports - Financial Times
• Brussels rebuffs UK bid to prise open access to EU single market - Post-Brexit ‘reset’ talks intensify ahead of crucial summit next month - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné to a MEP written question - EU dependence on critical raw materials and impact on European industry
• Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné to a MEP written question - Stepping up security, increasing climate protection and improving air quality by closing the loophole in the harmonised individual vehicle approval of American pickup trucks

FINANCE

• The EBA publishes key indicators on climate risk in the EU/EEA banking sector
• The EBA issues criteria to determine when Crypto Assets Service Providers have to appoint a central contact point to help fight financial crime

ENERGY

• ACER issues guidelines to share cybersecurity information in the electricity sector
• ACER urges ENTSO-E to improve balancing data quality and adjust reporting schedule

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 28 & 29 April 2025
• Agenda for: Informal meeting of the EU Ministers for Environment and Climate (ENVI) - 28 & 29 April 2025
• Commissioner Hoekstra in Spain to discuss climate action and competitiveness - Midday Express

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

ECDC

• Measles - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2024
• Reporting protocol for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• Tools and methods for promoting vaccination acceptance and uptake: a social and behavioural science approach

EFSA

• Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of l‐lysine sulfate produced with Corynebacterium glutamicum CGMCC 23982 for all animal species (Eppen Europa SAS)
• Model development to predict environmental concentrations of chemical substances in marine sediment when the substance is applied via feed in marine aquaculture: Task 1.2. Conceptual Model

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Appeal brought by the European Commission against the judgment of the General Court of 8 January 2025 in Case T-354/22, Thomas Bindl Vs. European Commission of 17 March 2025 (Case C-206/25 P)
  Re: infringement of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 (EU-GDPR); Article 46, 65 EU-GDPR; Article 340 TFEU
• Commission launches call for the selection of members of newly launched Health Cybersecurity Advisory Board

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• ECB - Euro area economic and financial developments by institutional sector: fourth quarter of 2024
• ECB - Project Meridian FX shows possibility of cross-border linkages for FX transactions between wholesale payment infrastructures
• The macroeconomic impact of euro area discretionary fiscal policy measures since the start of the pandemic - Economic Bulletin Issue 3, 2025

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 30 April 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Antici Group (Simplification: CBAM) - 30 April 2025
• Opening remarks by President António Costa at the meeting with President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev
• Remarks by President António Costa at the press conference following the meeting with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rossen Jeliazkov

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Guatemala: Statement by the Spokesperson on detention of former indigenous leaders, including Vice-Minister Luis Pacheco
• Azerbaijan: Remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas at the joint press conference with Minister for Foreign Affairs
• European Peace Facility: Council adopts the third bilateral assistance measure in support of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia - See Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/823

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Appeal brought on 28 February 2025 by TBANK SA, formerly Tinkoff Bank SA, against the judgment of the General Court of 18 December 2024 in Case T-275/23, Tinkoff Bank Vs. Council (Case C-171/25 P)
  Re: annulment of Decision 2014/145/CFSP, Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/429, Decision (CFSP) 2024/847, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/849, restrictive measures, Russia, Ukraine
• Action brought on 25 February 2025 – Utair Vs. Council (Case T-137/25)
  Re: annulment of Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/3182 and of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3183
• Answer given by the Council to a MEP written question - Measures to restrict access to EU airspace from Russian airspace
• Answer given by HR/VP Kallas  to a MEP written question - Commission President von der Leyen after three years of war in Ukraine – a proven troublemaker and failed dealmaker

OTHER EU SANCTIONS

• Myanmar: EU restrictive measures renewed until 30 April 2026 - See Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/820 & Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/822
• Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/817 of 25 April 2025 implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/888 concerning restrictive measures in view of actions destabilising the Republic of Moldova
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/824 of 25 April 2025 amending Decision (CFSP) 2023/891 concerning restrictive measures in view of actions destabilising the Republic of Moldova
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/814 of 25 April 2025 amending Decision (CFSP) 2015/1333 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya
• Council Regulation (EU) 2025/813 of 25 April 2025 amending Regulation (EU) 2016/44 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya