Europe Daily News, 19 April 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11534 - Stonepeak / Orsted / Oona Energy)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11508 - Aramco Digital / Ltimindtree / JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11492 - Baywa/ Nufri / Nuba Berries JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11478 - Gunvor / EVE / BBE)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10484 - PAI Partners / New Tiger)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11435 - PGGM / Eurazeo / Electra) 
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11445 - Carlyle / GTCR / Resonetics)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11417 - Generali / GSD / GK Holding / JV)
• Commission clears acquisition of Mercedes-Benz CPH by Van Mossel Automotive (M.11473) -  Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Invenergy Renewables by CDPQ, Blackstone and Invenergy IRH (M.11484) - Midday Express
• Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Vifor over possible anticompetitive disparagement of iron medicine (AT.40577) - IP/24/2110
• Denmark - Clear Channel Denmark pays DKK 6 million fine in competition case
• Greece - Acquisition of joint control over SOFTONE by Rucio Investment, Rocinante Investments and Grey Squirrel Services
• Italy - AGCM - Presentation of the Annual Activity Report 2023
• Lithuania - The 2023 Annual Report of the Competition Council was presented
• Portugal - Palex notifies the acquisition of exclusive control over Medicinália
• Slovenia - PMU initiated an administrative procedure regarding a possible cartel agreement in a tender related to the supply of industrial photovoltaic equipment
• UK - Breaches of the CMA’s markets and mergers remedies

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Trade Policy Committee (Deputy Members) - 25 April 2024
• Minutes of the Third meeting of the Committee on Trade in Goods under the EU-Viet Nam FTA - 30 November 2023
• Minutes of the Third Trade Committee under the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) - 01 December 2023
• Commissioner Wojciechowski leads EU agri-business delegation to China - Midday Express
• The WTO's negotiating function: Towards plurilaterals and new trade challenges - see the EP Briefing
• WTO, FIFA take steps to advance cotton initiative unveiled at MC13 - see the MoU
• EU sees signs China supplying dual-use components to Russia, Dombrovskis says - Reuters
• The EU needs to get its trade mojo back, say Sweden and Finland - Nordic nations urge Brussels to get on and do trade deals — and not to tie them to its environmental agenda - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - How Germany benefits from the EU single market
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Delayed start to the construction of the semiconductor factory in Ensdorf, Saarland
• China is a threat to Europe’s gunpowder supply, defense boss warns - Saab chief cautions that Beijing dominates supplies of a key component to make powder to fire shells, and metal for submarines and warships - Politico.eu

FINANCE

• Draft Minutes - 45th Commission Expert Group on Banking, Payments and Insurance (EGBPI) (Payments formation) - 14 March 2024
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - EU defence industry and EU Taxonomy II
• ESAs consult on technical standards for joint examination teams under DORA
• G7 eyeing using frozen Russian assets as collateral for Ukraine loans, EU official says - Reuters
• Majority of EU states object to capital markets reform push - Financial Times

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 22 April 2024
• ACER’s monitoring shows EU LNG imports might be near its peak
• ACER consults on the European market rules on gas transmission capacity allocation
• Revised REMIT protects the EU energy market from manipulation: ACER addresses stakeholders’ questions
• ENTSOG publishes its Summer Supply Outlook 2024 (with Winter 2024/25 overview) and Summer Supply Review 2023
• EU watchdog warns bloc still needs Russian LNG - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 22, 23, 24, 25 & 26 April 2024
• Agenda for: 27th Meeting of the CEG/MSP on Protecting and Restoring the World’s Forests, including the EU Timber Regulation and the FLEGT Regulation (Deforestation) - 24 April 2024
• EU calls for global ban on some plastic products to fight pollution
• EVP Šefčovič is in Canada for negotiations on the UN treaty to combat global plastic pollution - Midday Express
• EU Agencies: more work needed to make chemicals safe and sustainable - see EEA Statement and Report

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Alternative protein sources for food and feed - see the Study by the EPRS
• Third meeting of the subgroup on vaccination under the Public Health Expert Group (PHEG) – 18 April 2024 - Flash Report
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Re-evaluation of certain aspects of the EFSA Scientific Opinion of April 2010 on risk assessment of parasites in fishery products, based on new scientific data. Part 1: ToRs1–3
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Vaccination of poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza – Part 2. Surveillance and mitigation measures
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) produced by fermentation with Ensifer adhaerens CGMCC 21299 for all animal species (NHU Europe GmbH)
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety evaluation of the food enzyme oryzin from the non‐genetically modified Aspergillus ochraceus strain AE‐P

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues - 22 April 2024
• Council Decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the EU, of the Protocol amending the Agreement between the EU and Japan for an Economic Partnership regarding free flow of data - Adoption
• EDPB sets out priorities for 2024-2027 and clarifies implementation DPF redress mechanisms
• Answer given by VP Jourova to a MEP written question - Accusations of extensive personal data leak during European election campaign
• France appeals to Legal Service of Council of EU as part of discussions on European cybersecurity certification scheme

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Answer given by VP Jourova to a MEP written question - Reforming the Free Movement Directive
• Obstetric and gynaecological violence in the EU - Prevalence, legal frameworks and educational guidelines for prevention and elimination - see Study by the EP FEMM Committee
• The ‘brain waste’ of skilled migrants in Europe - A new investigation shows how countries hold back educated people from overseas from working in their fields of training - Financial Times
  

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission disburses the second payment of €122 million to Estonia under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Midday Express
• Additional obligations for Very Large Online Platforms kick in for Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos under the DSA
• Unlocking efficiency: optimal monetary policy when capital misallocation matters - ECB Research Bulletin No.118
• Interview with Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, conducted by Michalis Psilos
• Raiffeisen warns ECB plans could derail plan to sell Russian arm - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• European Council conclusions, 17 and 18 April 2024
  - Opening remarks by President von der Leyen
  - Remarks by President Charles Michel
  
• Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Belgian Prime Minister De Croo and Enrico Letta

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Orpo

EU/UK RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 26 April 2024

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Consolidated version of the FAQs on sanctions against Russia and Belarus
• FAQs on sanctions against Russia and Belarus, with focus on the following legislation: Council Regulation (EU) 2022/263 - Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
• FAQs on sanctions against Russia and Belarus, with focus on the following provisions: Articles 3g, 3i, 3m and 3o of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 - Imports, purchase and transfer of listed goods