Europe Daily News, 22 October 2024

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11665 - Axa Assicurazioni / Nobis)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11660 - Mutares / Serneke Sverige)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11718 - Adrill / ADH / Tubacex/ NTS Middle East)
• Austria - At BWB's request, the Cartel Court found that FCC Austria Abfall Service AG had participated in an Austria-wide cartel in the waste management sector
• Belgium - The Competition Authority approves the acquisition of BOMA Group, a subsidiary of BMACON, by IK Investment Partners
• Hungary - GVH: The use of artificial intelligence can increase the competitiveness of Hungarian businesses
• Poland - UOKiK has launched an investigation to check whether Meta has infringed competition by changing the way links to press content are presented
• UK - Breaches of the CMA’s markets and mergers remedies - See the Corporate report 
• UK - The CMA is investigating the completed acquisition by Iberdrola, S.A., through its subsidiary Scottish Power Energy Networks Holdings Ltd, of North West Electricity Networks (Jersey) Ltd.
• UK - The CMA has launched its investigation into the merger between certain entities of XSYS Germany Holding GmbH and certain assets of MacDermid Graphics Solutions

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.111020

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Customs Programme - CLEN Preparatory Meeting for the 27th CLEN Plenary Meeting - 28 November 2024
  - CLEN Action 4 - ECICS Workshop 50 years' experience and future - 19 November 2024
  - CLEN Action 1 - ILIADe Group Meeting - 29 October 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the Sub-Committee on TBT of the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America - 10 & 12 June 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Group Government Procurement under the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America - 27 May 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the Board on Trade & Sustainable Development of the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America - 17 & 18 June 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the Subcommittee on Market access for Goods of the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America - 10,11 & 13 June 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the Subcommittee on Sanitary & Phytosanitary Measures of the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America - 04 & 05 June 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the the European Union and Central America Association Agreement - Sub-committee on Customs, Trade Facilitation and Rules of Origin - 10-13 June 2024
• Minutes of the 10th Meeting of the Association Committee of the Trade Pillar between the European Union and Central America - 20 June 2024
• Joint Minutes 10th meeting of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in the framework of the EU-Central America Association Agreement - 30 May 2024
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... of XXX repealing Implementing Regulation (EU) No 385/2013 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (3307 90)
• Explanatory notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union (“8483 & 8483 50)
  
• Notice concerning the date of entry into force of a) the Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part and b) the Protocol of Accession to the Trade Agreement between the EU and its Member States, of the one part, and Colombia and Peru, of the other part, to take account of the accession of Ecuador
• Information on the adoption of the Decision of the EU-Egypt Association Council amending the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Arab Republic of Egypt, of the other part, by replacing Protocol 4 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of "originating products" and methods of administrative cooperation
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union, of the one part, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part - See the Annex
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union, of the one part, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part - See the Annex
• European Parliament: At a Glance: US: Economic indicators and trade with EU

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Delays in decisions on dangerous chemicals constitute maladministration by European Commission, says Ombudsman - See the Recommendation
• Economic operators from a third country which has not concluded an international agreement on public procurement with the European Union cannot claim equal treatment in this area (See Nº 183/2024 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-652/22, Kolin Inşaat Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret)

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Baltic Sea: Council agrees on catch limits for 2025

EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL POLICY

• EU aid worth €2.7 million to support 365 dismissed retail workers in Belgium 

ENERGY

• ACER’s monitoring shows European gas markets avoided severe gas price volatility in the third quarter of 2024
• UK Contributes £20 Million to UESF to aid infrastructure repairs and winter preparedness in Ukraine  - Energy Community
• The Secretariat launches new Energy Community CBAM-Readiness Tracker - Energy Community

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee established under Regulation (EU) No 2024/590 on substances that deplete the ozone layer - 25 September 2024
• Biodiversity-friendly farming practices can help build sustainable, resilient agriculture - see EEA Statement

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• EFSA - Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance pirimicarb
• EFSA - Crisis preparedness exercise on food and feed safety for IPA beneficiaries 2024
• EFSA - Evaluation of the application of Slovenia to be recognised as having a negligible risk of classical scrapie
• 60,000 fewer clinical trial places for Europeans, despite global surge in research projects - see EFPIA Statement

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• The European Digital Media Observatory launches Media Literacy Guidelines
• EU Node – the first digital gateway to the European Open Science Cloud goes live
• Artificial intelligence – implementing regulation establishing a scientific panel of independent experts - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 18 October 2024 - 15 November 2024
• EU tech bastion Ireland brings in new rules to crack down on X, TikTok - The country’s long-awaited Online Safety Code sets up binding rules for large online platforms to better protect users, including children - Politico.eu

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Minutes of the Meeting of the European ITS Committee - 26 September 2024
• European Parliament approves more efficient and greener EU airspace
• Company car fossil fuel subsidies in Europe - see T&E Final report

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Joint Statement by European Commission President von der Leyen and European Parliament President Metsola on the revision of the Interinstitutional Framework Agreement

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Republic of Moldova: Statement by the High Representative Josep Borrel on behalf of the EU on the constitutional referendum and the first round of the presidential elections
• Statement by the European Commission and High Representative Josep Borrell on the Presidential Election and the Constitutional Referendum in Moldova
• Read-out of the call between EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates
• Central African Republic: Council extends the mandate of the EU advisory mission for two years - See Decision (CFSP) 2024/2723
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2722 of 21 October 2024 amending Decision (CFSP) 2015/1763 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Burundi
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell i Fontelles to a MEP written question - Problematic movements of weapons sent to Ukraine
• Parliament approves up to €35 billion loan to Ukraine backed by Russian assets