Europe Daily News, 12 November 2024

COMPETITION

• Action brought on 27 September 2024 – Kingspan Group Vs. Commission (Case T-507/24)
  Re: annulment the Decision of the European Commission’s Hearing Officer for competition proceedings of 19 July 2024 in case M.10962 – Kingspan Group (Art. 14(1) proceedings
• Appeal brought on 26 September 2024 by Bytedance Ltd against the judgment of the General Court of 17 July 2024 in Case T-1077/23, Bytedance Vs. Commission (Case C-627/24 P)
  Re: Annulment of the EC Decision No. C(2023) 6102 final designating ByteDance as a gatekeeper pursuant to Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector DMA.100040 ByteDance - Online Social Networking Services
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11784 - Aurelius / What’s Cooking Savoury)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11733 - BMWK / MOF NDS / Meyer Germany)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11778 - VREP / Südbg / Dekom / Dekom United)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11698 - Proman/ Valenz)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11654 - Cinven / Idealista)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11622 - GP Verkehrswegebau / Eurovia / Hanse)
• Commission clears acquisition of Nobis by AXA Assicurazioni (M.11665) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Banca Progetto by Centerbridge (M.11743) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Mars Debtco by Onex and Qatar Holding (M.11723) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Grandi Stazioni Retail by OMERS and DWS (M.11707) - Midday Express
• Competition poses the toughest test for climate chief Ribera - Politico.eu

STATE AID

• Action brought on 20 September 2024 – Finnlines Vs. Commission (Case T-490/24)
  Re: annulment of the EC’s decision C(2024) 3536 final of 29 May 2024 on State Aid SA.58825 (2024/N) - Finland - COVID-19: Damage compensation to passenger car ferry operators
• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunal Administrativo e Fiscal do Funchal of 12 August 2024 – Utiledulci - Comércio Internacional e Serviços, Sociedade Unipessoal, Lda. – Zona Franca da Madeira Vs. Autoridade Tributária e Assuntos Fiscais da Região Autónoma da Madeira (Case C-545/24)
  Re: Article 5 of Commission Decision (EU) 2022/1414; Article 16(3) of Regulation (EU) 2015/1589; SA.21259; Article 108TFEU
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections - SA.114290, SA.114318 & SA.116184

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 15 November 2024
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputies) / Attachés & experts - 14 November 2024
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Experts - Services & Investment) - 13 November 2024
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community and in the Energy Community Regulatory Board (Vienna, Austria, 12 December 2024, and Athens, Greece, 10 December 2024) - See the Annex
• Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2283 opening and providing for the management of autonomous tariff quotas of the Union for certain agricultural and industrial products - See the Annex
• Decision No 1/2024 of the EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Council of 1 October 2024 setting up Joint Consultative Committees with the European Economic and Social Committee and with the Committee of the Regions of the European Union, respectively, and amending the Rules of Procedure of the Stabilisation and Association Council
• Eight EU Member states call on European Commission to propose another increase in tariffs on imports of Russian products
• WTO members address TRIPS implementation review, discuss pandemic preparedness
• WTO - How environmental comparative advantage can lead to environmental gains from trade
• LNG exports could prove crucial bargaining chip in US-EU trade talks - Share prices of companies in the sector have surged on expectations of higher natural gas exports to Europe - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Better Regulation) - 14 November 2024
• Draft Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 (first reading) - Adoption of the legislative act + Statements by Latvia, Hungary and the Commission
• Brussels to free up billions of euros for defence and security from EU budget - Policy shift will allow the bloc’s capitals to redirect ‘cohesion funds’ amid Ukraine conflict and Trump victory - Financial Times

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Council greenlights further assistance to member states affected by climate-related disasters through the EU Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
• EU and neighbourhood countries agree 1st shared EU-Albania fisheries restricted area and other measures to protect Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries and biodiversity - Midday Express
• Commission and Norway agree on EU quota of Svalbard cod for 2025 and beyond - Midday Express

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY 

• Directive (EU) 2024/2831 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on improving working conditions in platform work

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Commissioner Hoekstra in Baku at the COP29 Leaders' plenary and World Climate Action Summit - Midday Express
• 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Baku, 11 – 22 November 2024) - First EU coordination
• EU braced for blows from all sides in march to meet net zero goals - Critics at home and abroad lash out at demands to cut emissions while the US is unlikely to offer much support - Financial Times

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety evaluation of the food enzyme α‐amylase from the non‐genetically modified Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain AE‐BAA
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Commodity risk assessment of Petunia spp. and Calibrachoa spp. unrooted cuttings from Costa Rica
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Assessment of genetically modified maize DP51291 (application GMFF‐2021‐0071)

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Telecommunications & Information Society - 12 November 2024
• Commission receives seven proposals for AI Factories which will boost AI innovation in the EU* - Midday Express
• Commission and national authorities call on Apple to stop geo-blocking practices on Apple Media Services - Midday Express

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Sofiyski rayonen sad (Bulgaria) lodged on 9 August 2024 – SQ (Case C-541/24, Naltov)
  Re: Article 47, Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; GDPR; Regulation (EU) 2016/679
• Agenda for: Meeting of the JHA Counsellors on Data Protection Matters - 20 November 2024
• EDPB - Opinion 23/2024 on the draft decision of the Irish Supervisory Authority regarding the Controller Binding Corporate Rules of the Aptiv Group
• BlueOLEx 2024 exercise: EU-CyCLONe test its cyber crisis response preparedness
• Cyber: EU and Japan hold 6th Cyber Dialogue in Tokyo

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 13 November 2024
• EU leaders adopted the "Budapest declaration" on the new European competitiveness deal, see the Remarks by President Charles Michel & Speech by President von der Leyen

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2655 concerning restrictive measures in view of activities undermining the stability and political transition of Sudan
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries with Council implementing Decision (CFSP) 2024/2668 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2693 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Guinea
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries with Council Decision CFSP) 2024/2702 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Niger
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2783 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar /Burma
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2782 concerning restrictive measures against the leadership of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova
  

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Action brought on 20 September 2024 – Beloglazov Vs. Council (Case T-492/24)
  Re: Annulment of Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1843; Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1842; unlawfulness of Decision (CFSP) 2023/1218 &Regulation (EU) 2023/1215; Mr Dimitry Aleksandrovich Beloglazov
  
• Ukraine: Remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
• Ukraine: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell after visiting places of Russian atrocities in Chernihiv oblast
• Ukraine: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell after meeting with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha
• The Council prolonged the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine until 15 November 2026 - see Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2876