Europe Daily News, 21 August 2024

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11616 - KPS / Innomotics)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11636 - CVC / Waldakt/ Resurs)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11607 - Goldman Sachs / Groupe Crystal)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11627 - Oakley Capital / Eurazeo / I-Tracing)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11618 - Infranity / Eurazeo / Etix Everywhere Holding)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11647 - Govarri/Hidria)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11664 - Compass / DR Holding)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11688 - KKR / TMUS / Metronet)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11677 - Mideuropa Partners / Famar)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11695 - Towerbrook Capital Partners / CD&R / R1 RCM)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11686 - Baosteel / Baowu Aluminum / Kobelco / Kobelco Bao Automotive Aluminium Rolled Products JV)
• Commission clears acquisition of Mainova WebHouse by Mainova and BlackRock (M.11624) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of AffiniPay by Genstar and TA Associates (M.11640) - Midday Express
• Belgium - Notification MEDE-CC-22/0016 : Hermes Acquireco B.V / Duo-Med Investments B.V.
• Czech Republic - The Office initiated proceedings for possible abuse of dominant position in real estate services
• Norway - The Competition Authority imposes fines totaling 4.9 billion NOK (420 million euros) on Coop, Norgesgruppen and Rema for violations of the Competition Act
• Portugal - Busway notifies the award of the concession for the road transport network in the Coimbra Region, for the public regular passenger transport service
• Portugal - The AdC issued a non-opposition decision to the merger 41/2024 - Waste Management / Stericycle
• Portugal - Digi notifies the acquisition of exclusive control over Cabonitel
• Romania - The Competition Council has sanctioned six companies active in the book supply market, as well as Romanian Publishers' Association (AER), with fines totaling RON 5.967 million (about €1.2 million) for participating in an anti-competitive cartel
• Romania - The Competition Council is analyzing the transaction by which Arctic Stream S.A., together with the Mănescu, intends to acquire Data Core Systems S.R.L.
• UK - Vodafone / CK Hutchison JV merger inquiry - Company C and Unite’s polling submission on Parties' response to CMA Issues Statement - Case M.7064.23

STATE AID

• Commission approves €20 million Danish State aid scheme to support higher animal welfare standards for pigs (SA.114488) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2166 of 20 August 2024 on the introduction and management of tariff-rate quotas for honey resulting from Regulation (EU) 2024/1392 of the European Parliament and of the Council on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products under the Association Agreement between the Union and Ukraine
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2171 of 20 August 2024 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for the United States in the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds
• Joint press statement of the EU and Fiji on the implementation of the EU-Pacific interim Economic Partnership Agreement
• EU-CETA - Joint Progress Report - Outcome of the Review Process in Annex 30-C of CETA - updated on 02 August 2024 
• Text of the Agreement on digital trade between the European Union and the Republic of Singapore
• Report of the 5th round of negotiations on a digital trade agreement between the European Union and Singapore - 06 & 08 May 2024
• MOFCOM spokesman answers reporters' questions on the disclosure of the EU's final ruling on China's countervailing subsidy investigation on electric vehicles (in Chinese)
• China hits back at EV tariffs with European dairy probe - Beijing escalates trade dispute after Brussels unveils additional levies on vehicles - Financial Times
• Specter of Trump’s return forces the EU to get real on trade - The prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency is pushing Europe to double down on economic security - Politico.eu
• Tariffs are on the table for U.S. importers, whatever the election outcome - U.S. companies are pulling away from China as Democrats and Republicans increasingly impose duties on Beijing - Wall Street Journal

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2165 of 1 July 2024 on the publication of a list indicating certain CO2 emissions values per manufacturer as well as average specific CO2 emissions of all new heavy-duty vehicles registered in the Union pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 of the European Parliament and of the Council for the reporting period of the year 2021
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the groundbreaking ceremony for the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) semiconductor plant

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (Direct Taxation) - 12 September 2024
• Second substantive session of the Ad Hoc Committee to draft terms of reference for a UN Framework Convention on international tax cooperation (New York, 29 July to 16 August 2024) - EU statements

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Climate Change Committee - 29 August 2024

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Council Decision on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Letter from Finland to President-elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen suggesting Ms Henna Virkkunen as Member of the Commission
• VDL’s new Commission: The names we know so far - 19 nominees have been put forward, with the deadline looming for eight remaining countries - Politico.eu

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• EU and India to convene high-level regional experts to discuss how to combat exploitation of online spaces by extremist actors