Europe Daily News, 18 September 2024

COMPETITION

• Google AdSense: The General Court annuls the Commission’s decision (See CPR Nº 143/2024 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-334/19, Google and Alphabet Vs.Commission (Google AdSense for Search)) - Financial Times
• Abuse of a dominant position: the General Court largely upholds the fine imposed on Qualcomm (See CPR Nº 142/2024 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-671/19, Qualcomm Vs. Commission)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11691 - Marubeni/ NAP / FMG / Aquagreen)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11740 - EDF / Vauban Infrastructure Partners / Ontower Austria)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11664 - Compass / DR Holding)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11516 - Fertinagro / Ameropa / Ameropa Biotech)
• Summary of Commission Decision of 23 May 2024 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 and 102 of the TFEU (Case AT.40632 – Mondelez trade restrictions)
  - Opinion of the Advisory Committee on restrictive practices and dominant positions
  - Final Report of the Hearing Officer
• Commission clears acquisition of Comarch by CVC (M.11614) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of 2i Aeroporti by F2i and Asterion (M.11694) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Sotheby's by ADQCVF and Next (M.11689) - Midday Express
• Austria - Cartel court imposes a fine of EUR 15 million on Peugeot at BWB's request - automotive market remains under scrutiny
• Denmark - Hugo Boss fined DKK 12 million (€ 1,608,650) for infringing the competition rules
• Hungary - The Competition Authority (GVH) is investigating the implementation of the commitments undertaken by SPAR in the framework of a follow-up investigation
• Meta faces hefty EU antitrust fine over classified ads practices - Brussels claims Facebook is breaking the law and undermining rivals with its free Marketplace services - Financial Times
• EU competition chief warns against weakening rules to create champions - Margrethe Vestager’s comments come as successor told to be ‘more supportive’ of companies - Financial Times
• UK - The CMA is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S of Volac Whey Nutrition Holdings Limited.

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.114884
• Commission approves amendments to the Belgian capacity mechanism State aid scheme (SA.114003) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: 33rd Meeting of the Customs 2027 Programme (CPG/023) – Prohibitions & Restrictions Experts Group - 25 & 26 September 2024
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Customs Union Performance Expert Group (Sub-group on Customs controls & Sub-group on Protection) - 02 October 2024
• Call for Evidence - EU-Japan trade agreement – evaluation - Evaluation - Feedback period: 17 September 2024 - 15 October 2024
• Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the EU in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community as regards the adoption of a decision adding two newly adopted Union acts to Annex 2 to the Windsor Framework
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2461 of 17 September 2024 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1618 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of tungsten carbide, fused tungsten carbide and tungsten carbide simply mixed with metallic powder originating in the People’s Republic of China, and subjecting imports of non-agglomerated tungsten carbides mixed together or with metallic binders originating in the People’s Republic of China to surveillance
• 2024 Commission report & Staff Working Document on the implementation and enforcement of EU trade agreements - updated on 17 September 2024
• Talks for India-EU free trade agreement to be held next week in Delhi
• Chinese trade boss comes to Brussels on Don’t Tax My Car tour - Whistle-stop tour of European capitals by Wang Wentao could end in a tough gig when he meets EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARTKET & INDUSTRY

• Draghi is trying to save Europe from itself - His report on competitiveness presents the EU with an ‘existential challenge’ - Financial Times

CHEMICAL

• Agenda for: Meeting of the REACH Committee - 20 September 2024
• Call for Evidence - Animal testing in chemical safety assessments - Commission roadmap to phase it out - Communication - Feedback period: 17 September 2024 - 15 October 2024
• ECHA Weekly Newsletter - 18 September 2024

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Council (Agriculture and Fisheries) on 23 September 2024
  - Protective measures according to Art. 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1392 and in particular prohibiting the import of eggs originating from Ukraine - Information from Bulgaria, supported by Romania

ENERGY

• Commission invites applications for future energy infrastructure projects contributing to the EU's climate and competitiveness goals  - Midday Express

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Commission expert group on climate change policy (Aviation) - 26 September 2024
• Public Consultation - F-gases – new certification requirements for solvents - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 17 September 2024 - 15 October 2024
• Public Consultation - F-gases – new minimum certification requirements for air-conditioning systems in mobile equipment - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 17 September 2024 - 15 October 2024
• Public Consultation - F-gases – update of minimum requirements for fire protection systems - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 17 September 2024 - 15 October 2024
• Public Consultation - F-gases – update of minimum requirements for switchgear - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 17 September 2024 - 15 October 202

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for: Meeting of Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed
  - Section: "Novel Food and Toxicological safety of the food chain" - 20 September 2024
  - Section: "Phytopharmaceuticals- Pesticide residues" - 23 & 24 September 2024
  - Section: "Animal health and animal welfare" - 20 September 2024
  - Section: "Controls and import conditions" - 20 September 2024 
• Commission recommends stronger measures on smoke-free environments to better protect public health - Q&A

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Commercial prospecting: French SA fined CEGEDIM SANTÉ EUR 800 000
• Hellenic SA: imposition of a fine and order to comply following a leak of expats’ personal data file

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• The EU’s overstretched asylum system - To make the case for legal migration, leaders must control irregular arrivals - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE (NEW EU COMMISSION)

• Possible items for College agenda from 2 October to 30 October 2024
• List of Commissioners-designate and their portfolios
• Ursula von der Leyen gives top economic jobs to interventionist EU countries - France, Italy and Spain to share influential portfolios in next European Commission - Financial Times

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Commission receives Lithuania's third payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Midday Express
• Consumer demand for central bank digital currency as a means of payment - ECB Research Bulletin No.122

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Working Party of Foreign Relations Counsellors (RELEX) - Horizontal Questions - 20 September 2024

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 in Case T‑521/22, Ivan Ivanovich Golovaty Vs. Council of the European Union supported by Republic of Latvia
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine - Freezing of funds - Lists of persons, entities and bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources - Inclusion of the applicant’s name on the list - Support for the regime - Financial support - Benefiting from the regime - Repression of civil society - Error of assessment
• Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 in Case T‑528/22, Belaruskali AAT, Vs. Council of the European Union supported by Kingdom of Belgium, and by Republic of Latvia
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine - Freezing of funds - List of persons, entities and bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources - Inclusion of the applicant’s name on the list - Support for the regime - Financial support - State-owned undertaking - Benefiting from the regime - Repression of civil society - Error of assessment
• Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 in Case T‑534/22, Belarusian Potash Company AAT, Vs. Council of the European Union, supported by Republic of Latvia
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine - Freezing of funds- Lists of persons, entities and bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources - Inclusion of the applicant’s name on the list - Support for the regime - Financial support - Benefiting from the regime - Error of assessment
• Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 in Joined Cases T-607/22 and T-731/22, Andrey Anatolyevich Kozitsyn Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures taken in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine - Freezing of funds - Restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - Lists of persons, Lists of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources applies and who are subject to restrictions on admission to the territories of the Member States - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant's name on the list - Meaning of ‘influential businessmen and women’ - Meaning of ‘businessmen and women engaged in economic sectors which provide a substantial source of income to the Government of the Russian Federation’ - Article 2, (1)(g) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP - Article 3(1)(g) of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 - Plea of illegality - Rights of the defence - Right to effective judicial protection - Error of assessment - Right to property - Freedom to conduct a business ’